


It Took Too Long to Find You

by Harper44



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Anal, Blow Jobs, Bottom Link, Bottom Rhett, Homophobia, M/M, Panic Attacks, Stripper Link, Switching, Teasing, Top Link, Top Rhett, ass eating, club shooting, principal link, rhink, sorta slow burn, student teacher rhett, this isn't a weird age thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:09:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 26,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25639294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harper44/pseuds/Harper44
Summary: Rhett didn’t expect to be presented with many options for hot single men when he switched his career path to teaching. His expectations are blown out of the water on his first day as a student teacher when he meets the young, hot, single principal.
Relationships: Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal
Comments: 108
Kudos: 119





	1. The Principal is Hot

**Author's Note:**

> This work is tagged with "graphic depictions of violence" because it will be addressed in later chapters. Those chapters will be indicated in the chapter titles and the beginning notes. I encourage you to still read, but please protect yourself and be careful!

Rhett didn’t expect to be presented with many options for hot single men when he switched his career path to teaching. His expectations are blown out of the water on his first day as a student teacher. He has already met the fourth grade teacher he’ll be working with, so his first order of business is to meet the principal. Rhett knocks on the cracked office door. If the light hadn’t been on, he’d have thought there isn’t anyone else in the building. 

“Come in,” says a confident voice that doesn’t sound like it would belong to the kind of person Rhett is picturing. He takes a deep breath and enters the office. Thank goodness the principal is turned toward the back wall at the moment so that Rhett can come to terms with the fact that this isn't some balding fat man or tall, stern woman. The man with his back to Rhett has to be mid thirties, slim and fit with a narrow waist and sinfully perfect ass. He has deliciously dark hair and his shirt sleeves are pushed up to his elbows to show off gorgeously tanned forearms. Somehow, Rhett has his face composed by the time the man turns around, but his brain is far from it. He nearly loses control of his face again when he’s confronted with beautiful blue eyes and a crooked smile. Rhett yells at himself in his head to get it together, straightening his posture and holding out his hand. He’s a grown man, even though he’s been single a while, he shouldn’t be this affected by a man who’s probably married. 

“I’m Rhett McLaughlin,” he forces out with a smile. 

The principal’s handshake is firm and warm and his smile widens a little. “Charles Neal. Call me Charles if you don’t mind that I call you Rhett.”

They let go of the handshake and Rhett shakes his head, “Not at all.”

“Have a seat,” Charles offers.

In the moment of pause, Rhett finds himself glancing at Charles' ring finger. He doesn’t know how he feels when he finds it bare. Charles leans back in his chair with an air of ease and grace Rhett appreciates. “Mrs. Gregson has spoken very highly of you, I can tell she’s excited to work with you. I apologize for not being able to meet with you earlier.”

“No problem,” Rhett says, “Figure if I can make it through a meeting with the principal, I can make it through my first day teaching fourth graders.”

Charles laughs, “Been a while since you’ve been to the principal’s office?”

“I went plenty when I was in school, kind of forgot how it feels, though,” Rhett chuckles.

“I think you’ll find the fourth graders to be much tougher critics than I am. What made you go into teaching?”

Rhett usually likes this question from people, but for some reason he doesn’t want to tell this man the kind of job he left. A tiny part of him wishes he’d met Charles Neal when he could still mention his six figure salary.

“I was an engineer. It made money, but I realized I was living for the time I had off when I could volunteer at kid’s centers, camps, and libraries. I kind of woke up one day and realized that there was no reason not to make my career about investing in children.” Rhett watches for any reaction to his allusion that he’s single. 

“I’m glad you have a heart for this, Rhett. It can’t have been easy stepping away from the comfort of an engineering career and going back to school,” Charles says. Rhett swells a little with pride at the approval of the principal. They begin to hear the movement of teachers and staff in the rest of the building. “I hope you’ll have a good experience here. We have really great kids.” Charles stands so Rhett does too, waiting for some kind of dismissal. Charles leans over his desk to look out the door and Rhett can’t help but steal a glance at his tensed forearms. “I’m afraid I’m not welcome in the teacher’s lounge at lunch, I know my place as the boss,” Charles grins, still leaning over the desk a little, forcing Rhett to revel in the sight of the man looking up at him more than he already does. “Are you available Saturday for lunch? That way I can hear about your first week and make sure you’re comfortable.”

“Absolutely.” Rhett tries to keep from looking too elated to be having lunch with his new boss, but he probably fails.

“Perfect, I can email you later,” Charles says as he straightens up. He holds his hand out again and Rhett takes it. “Nice to meet you, Rhett. Have a good first day at school.”

“Nice to meet you too, Charles. I’ll try not to get sent to the principal’s office.” If Rhett was being honest with himself, he kind of wishes he could be sent there. Charles’ laugh follows him out of the office.


	2. All the Hot Ones are Gay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhett spends time with Charles outside of work and gets to know him better.

In the next week, Rhett discovers for the first time in his life that he can be excited to go to work. Fourth graders are quirky and moody and fun. Mrs. Gregson is a lovely but firm teacher. Since most of the discipline falls to her, this puts Rhett in the perfect position to be goofy and befriend the kids. Rhett had no idea he could come to love twenty ten-year-olds so much in one week. He gets so wrapped up in his new daily routine that he doesn’t have much time to dwell on Charles Neal. He does make sure he’s at the back of the room during the morning announcements so he can openly stare at the principal. He looks so good in a button down and Rhett loses it a little on Thursday morning at the maroon shirt Charles is wearing. 

The class does a messy experiment at the end of the day on Thursday. Rhett tells Mrs. Gregson she can go home and that he’d take care of it. By the time he’s done cleaning up, it seems like the school is empty. Rhett walks toward the front doors, smiling at the peaceful hallways that will be filled back up with chaos tomorrow. He notices a light on in the front office and slows enough to decipher that it’s coming from under Charles’ door. Rhett hears a string of curses from said office which makes him stop completely. The door is halfway open and it’s only a moment’s hesitation before he walks past the front desk to lean in the door frame that barely accommodates his height. “You could get sent to the principal’s office for that kind of language,” Rhett says.

Charles huffs a laugh, “You try stapling your hand and staying quiet.”

“Do I need to take it away from you?” Rhett asks with a laugh, stepping further into the office.

Charles looks up at him, only then seeming to realize who it is. “You know, Mrs. Devan, my secretary, doesn’t even let me have scissors.” Charles reaches into a drawer and pulls out safety scissors like Rhett’s fourth graders use. “Apparently, I’m too prone to injuring myself.” 

Rhett can’t help but laugh at that, “Are you serious?”

Charles nods, holding out his own hands and looking at them, “You should see all the little scars I have from staplers and scissors.”

“I don’t know if you should work in a school, man.” Rhett’s mind splits between worrying that he is being too casual and wishing he could get an up close look at those scars and maybe learn what those hands can do. He worries for nothing, though, because Charles doesn't seem to mind as he slips into a different mood. He runs a hand through his hair and sinks into his chair, glaring at the papers in front of him. Rhett feels like he should leave, but something keeps him there. Charles seems to be relaxing with him, acting casual and not worrying about putting up the front that he’s fine. He looks like he needs a break. He doesn’t know what prompts him to say it, but Rhett finds himself clearing his throat and saying, “You look like you need a break. Let’s get a drink.” Rhett would never tell him he looks exhausted because that might give him the impression that he doesn’t find him heart stoppingly attractive.

Those piercing blue eyes look up at him from under a furrowed brow. Rhett can almost hear him deciding in his mind if he should take him up on the offer. With a definitive shrug, Charles gathers his things and says, “Sure.”

“I’ll meet you down the road at Chili’s.”

Rhett is excited to get to know him outside of work and that’s how he forces himself to think about it. He kind of wishes Charles wasn’t wearing that sexy maroon shirt, though. It makes it much harder to focus on the friendly nature of the evening.

They sit down and don’t say much for a bit except ordering a beer each. Rhett tries to keep himself from drinking it too fast out of nerves.

“Thanks for making me do this, Rhett. Thursdays always seem to have something going on or something that’s extra stressful.”

Rhett nods, “No problem, Charles. My buddy Alex says I have a knack for knowing exactly when a man needs a drink.”

Charles laughs, “Well, you sure did today. And please, call me Link.” When Rhett gives him a confused look, he explains, “My middle name is Lincoln, so I go by Link with friends and family. Charles is too professional.” Rhett nods and takes a swig of his beer. They slip into casual conversation and find that they have a lot of common interests.

“Where are you from?” Link asks.

“Originally Georgia, but I was raised here in Buies Creek. What about you?”

“Born and raised here,” Link takes a sip of his drink. “I love my job, but do you ever wish you could get out of this town?”

“I did get out, with the engineering job. I honestly don’t know why I came back. Maybe it was because I was taking such a big leap, I had to have something familiar. I love it here and all my family is here, but the people here adhere to more strict ideologies than they do in Chicago.”

Link chuckles, “What a diplomatic way to say this town is racist, sexist, and homophobic.”

Rhett can feel the conversation drawing closer to sexuality and he desperately wants to know if Link is straight and he really wants Link to know that he’s definitely not, but he has no idea how to approach it. Link gives Rhett a curious glance before saying, “One of the things that had me stressed today was a meeting with a parent. She was there to talk about some disciplinary action that needs to be taken with her kid and thirty minutes later she was suspicious about me being unmarried and five minutes after that she accused me of pedophilia and homosexuality as if the latter was just as horrible as the former. The SRO escorted her out. It’s not like I’m in the closet, but I might as well be with how aggressively everyone around here assumes you’re straight and how offended they are when they get an inkling you’re not.”

“It sucks,” Rhett empathizes, catching Link’s slight smirk at his words. “I’m fortunate my parents didn’t disown me, but they never acknowledge it.”

Link visibly relaxes, “I knew my gaydar was still in tune.”

Rhett laughs, “I was just hoping I was right in thinking that a guy as attractive as yourself couldn’t be straight.”

Link looks at him now in a way that is different from before. “I don’t know about that, but I’m definitely gayer than a rainbow. I try not to broadcast that because as demonstrated today, It can cause problems.” Link looks at his phone for the time and swallows the rest of his beer. With the knowledge that Link is in fact gay, Rhett lets himself watch Link’s throat work around the drink. He finds himself overwhelmed with the desire to compliment this man’s beauty, especially because of the way he brushed off the earlier compliment. Link stands and stretches his back a little, “I’d better get home, one more day of school. Still good for lunch on Saturday?”

“Yes! How about the deli downtown?” Rhett answers, thrilled Link wants to spend more time with him.

“Perfect, see you tomorrow.” As he walks away, Rhett can’t help but take a good look at his backside. When Link unexpectedly looks back at the door, Rhett races to bring his eyes up to his face, but he pauses too long on that sharp jawline and Link isn’t fooled. He throws a wink and a smirk over his shoulder, leaving Rhett blushing like a teenager at the bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my ~tumblr~ is harper44 :D


	3. Two Sides, One Coin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They have lunch and it's definitely not a date. Rhett discovers a side of Link that he didn't expect...

Rhett only has about forty hours to get through until lunch with Link, but they couldn’t go by fast enough. He’s just as antsy as the kids to get through Friday and into the weekend. Rhett gets to the deli a few hours early on Saturday in order to calm his nerves and work on some of his creative endeavors. He continuously reminds himself that this isn’t a date and that Link is still his boss. Rhett is reading through the employee handbook on his phone in search of principal-teacher relationship rules when Link arrives 20 minutes before the time they agreed on.

“I’m glad you can appreciate being early,” Link laughs, “Some of my friends find it obnoxious.” Rhett is taking in the way he looks in blue jeans, a t-shirt, and cardigan as Link speaks. “What are you working on?”

“I dabble in some music and poetry. I love the idea of using music in teaching and I hope to incorporate it once I’m a full time teacher,” Rhett says.

“That’s fantastic! We talked about music the other night, but you didn’t say that. Do you play any instruments?”

“I play guitar, but that’s it.”

“Impressive. My cousin tried to teach me once, but I have shaky hands and bad coordination. I like to think I can sing, though. And I learned harmonica a while back.”

That comment leaves Rhett helpless to think about anything other than what Link’s voice sounds like. ”It’s supposed to be nice Thursday night. You can come over and we’ll sit on the porch and make music.” Rhett internally cringes at his word choice. He hopes it isn’t too early to plan on hanging out again.

“Deal. Now let’s order lunch.”

It has been an hour and a half since someone had come to take their plates when Link checks the time. Rhett isn’t offended, he just wishes he had an excuse to get him to stay longer.

Rhett takes a deep breath and composes the question he’s been forming since Link got here. He hopes he’s been getting the right signals and that this doesn’t mess everything up. “Link, I don’t mean to jump the gun here, but I’m really enjoying getting to know you. There aren’t many gay men around here our age, heck, there aren’t many gay men around here. So I was wondering about you being my boss…” Rhett loses his sentence and he doesn’t try to pick it back up for fear of Link’s rejection.

Link grins, “Are you asking for permission to pursue me?” Rhett blushes and shrugs. “There aren’t any rules against principal-teacher relationships as long as it doesn’t interfere with the professional relationship.” Link writes his phone number on a napkin and slides it across the table. “There’s my number so you can text me your address for Thursday. Thank you for coming to lunch with me, it was fun. See you Monday.” Link doesn’t turn back to look at him this time, but Rhett thinks he notices a more deliberate swing in his hips as he walks away. 

Rhett sits on his couch lamenting his empty Saturday evening schedule until an idea comes to mind. He searches gay clubs and finds one about forty-five minutes away and decides that’s far enough. He has no plans for a hookup because he has full plans to persue Link, but he hasn’t loosened up since he came back to Buise Creek for school and he can’t truly loosen up in a place that’s not okay with gay. Dancing, attractive men, and several drinks sound good for a Saturday night. Rhett puts on a navy blue button down and runs a hand through his hair. He decides that if he’s going to a club then he shouldn’t be able to wear the outfit to work, so he undoes a few buttons. Satisfied, he calls an Uber.

The club is exactly as loud and colorful as Rhett wanted it to be. He starts with a drink and some people watching, admiring the attractive guys in front of him for a while before finishing his drink and joining them. He gets some attention for his height and he enjoys the sensual feeling of warm bodies with an image of Link on his mind. Rhett downs a couple shots before returning to the dance floor. He finds himself with his hands on the hips of a taller guy. Not tall compared to him, but taller than the men he’d been dancing with. Rhett looks down to watch the guy grind his ass on his crotch and notices he’s wearing a hot pink crop top, short jean shorts, fishnets, and hot pink high top converse. The sight just from the back takes his breath away. “This okay?” Rhett husks into the guy’s ear, hands hovering over the bare skin of his waist. He feels the guy nod and smiles, gripping his hips tightly and leaning closer, desperate to know what he feels and smells like. His hands wander higher up the man’s waist as he presses his nose into his hair. The scent is familiar, but he can’t place it because he’s too busy pressing his fingers over a narrow ribcage and faintly outlined abs. Rhett starts feeling dizzy and he needs to pee, so he runs his hands down toned arms and stumbles off the dance floor. It’s only once he reaches the bathroom that he realizes he never saw the man’s face. Rhett thinks it must be beautiful.

He gets another drink and sits at the bar, talking with one of the first guys he danced with. An upbeat song comes on and the lights get brighter. Rhett looks back toward the dance floor and spots the hot pink crop top dancing with two other guys nearby. Crop top is in between the two guys who are basically grinding on him and he is definitely the center of attention. Rhett keeps watching because it’s hot and he’d love the opportunity to dance with him again. He can’t keep his eyes off the man. Suddenly, crop top looks up and piercing blue eyes stare straight at him and Rhett almost drops his drink. He’s still wrapping his mind around the fact that this is the same Link he knows when he uses the end of the song to get away from the two other guys and starts walking toward Rhett.

Link steps between his legs where he’s sitting on the bar stool. He reaches for his drink and downs the one sip that was left before taking Rhett’s hand. Without a word, he pulls him to the middle of the dance floor and places Rhett’s hands on his hips. Rhett has never been this shocked or turned on in his life. It takes him about two songs to get adjusted, but then he’s dying to touch Link’s skin again. He owes a lot to the person who invented crop tops. He watches the lights flash different colors over Link’s angular face. He’s not wearing his glasses and his eyes are closed. He sways with the music and sways his hips. A few times, Rhett has the urge to kiss him, but he decides against it and just looks. He takes in everything he can about the man in front of him because he knows come Monday, this part of Link will be tucked neatly away. Rhett knows the tucking might not be so easy for himself if he kisses him now.

At the club, Rhett has never put his hands all over someone like this. The more eager and bold Rhett becomes with his hands, the wider Link smiles. After having his eyes closed for a while, Link opens them and stares back at Rhett. Rhett relishes looking into those gorgeous blue eyes without glasses to dull them. Link spins around in his arms to nearly twerk on him and Rhett can barely take it. Dirty images fill his mind as he watches Link’s back muscles flex. Several songs later and with little blood left in his brain, Link turns back around. Rhett thinks he’s going to say something, but he just leans in and kisses his cheek before disappearing into the crowd. In a daze, Rhett returns to the bar to sit for a moment. A guy he doesn’t know takes the stool beside him and lets out a low whistle. “Neal is something else, isn’t he?”

It takes Rhett a moment to realize who he’s talking about and he asks, “Do you know him?”

“Not personally, but anyone who comes here often knows of him. He dances with everyone, dressed to the nines, kind and sure of himself. He doesn’t usually dance with anyone as long as he danced with you,” the guy says.

Rhett grins and mutters, “Maybe I’m special.” The two men admire the subject of their conversation for a second. “He’s so fucking sexy.” Rhett’s actually thinking of Link in nothing but that maroon button down when he says it, all the buttons open.

“You should see some of his other outfits. This is pretty tame for him. Now, don’t get your hopes up. No one ever takes him home. No fault in just wanting to dance, maybe he has a partner who doesn’t like clubs.”

Rhett’s brain has a field day with the dual images of Link in other outfits and the idea of coming here with Link on his arm. He finally wanders outside and he’s about to call an Uber when he sees hot pink out of the corner of his eyes. He spots Link leaning against the wall, relaxed and eyes closed. Walking up to him, he says, ”Link?”

Those blue eyes flutter open and Rhett is glad to see he isn’t completely out of it. Link smiles, “Fancy seeing you here.”

“Waiting on an Uber?”

“No, trying to sober up so I can drive.”

“That’s not a good idea. Take an Uber with me and I’ll drive you back out here for your car tomorrow.”

Link sighs and lets his eyes close again, “M’kay.”

They stand together in silence waiting for the car, backs of their hands brushing a couple of times, setting Rhett’s skin on fire. After climbing into the car, Rhett coaxes Link’s address out of him and gives it to the driver. They sit close together and Link leans his head on his shoulder. “I usually only have one drink and dance it off,” Link yawns, “But tonight, I don’t know, seeing you there. I wish I didn't have to drive forty-five minutes from home to dance and flirt a little.”

Rhett presses the back of his hand into the side of Link’s thigh. It doesn’t take long for Link to fall asleep and Rhett is fading too, but he remains hyper aware of every place he and Link are touching. He breathes in Link’s scent that’s mixed with sweat and alcohol. He memorizes the feeling of Link’s leg under his hand, fishnets the only thing separating their skin. Rhett loves the way Link’s head rests perfectly on his shoulder. 

The car pulls up at Link’s house and Rhett tells the driver, “I’m just going to take him inside, be right back.” Before picking Link up, Rhett fishes his keys out of his pocket, congratulating himself on his foresight. He scoops Link into his arms and manages to get the door unlocked without dropping him. It’s a small house, so Rhett has no trouble finding the bedroom. He lays Link down, taking off his shoes. He wants to leave a glass of water and Advil for him, but he feels like he’s already been intrusive enough without digging through the cabinets. With a kiss to Link’s forehead, Rhett walks back to the Uber and spends the ride home with a smile on his face.


	4. Where's the Catch?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhett and Link spend some time together outside of work and Rhett learns more about his new friend.

It takes Rhett a while to orient himself when he wakes up. He wasn’t blackout drunk, but the handful of drinks he had were plenty and he’s not in his twenties anymore. He slowly recovers the memories of the night and finds himself with a sizable erection because of the images flooding his mind that have Link in them. He did not at all expect that of the principal, but he can’t deny is suits him and it’s fucking hot.

Recalling the conversation he had with the man at the bar after dancing with Link, Rhett becomes self conscious, giddy, and jealous all at the same time. It sounded like Link was doing what he always does at that club. The guy had said Link never goes home with anyone, so Rhett wonders if he’s even looking for a relationship at all. For a moment he feels led on, but he reminds himself that they’ve only spent time together outside of work twice now excluding last night. He has no claim on Link. But oh how he wishes he did.

Standing and stretching, Rhett gets in the shower, turning the water hot and not making enough of an effort to keep thoughts of Link out of his mind. With those narrow hips, defined back, and oh-so-blue eyes dancing behind his eyelids, Rhett wraps a hand around himself. Soon, he’s spilling cum on the tiles, Link’s name on his lips. Guilt and shame washes over him and he leans his head on the shower wall. He has to get it together. He can’t rush into this like it’s a cheap fling, he wants something that lasts and he really wants it to be Link.

After some breakfast and Advil, Rhett’s mind is clear enough to remember he promised to take Link back to get his car, so he shoots him a text.

Rhett: I hope you’re feeling well this morning. Just let me know what time is good for me to take you to your car.

Too late, Rhett realizes Link doesn’t have his contact in his phone so he probably should have sent his name. He sighs and puts the phone down so he won’t obsess over it and sinks down into the couch. Rhett files through his friends in his head, trying to decide who would be up for a drink on a Sunday night, but he comes up empty. All of them have wives and children, so they rarely have time to spare. He nearly lunges for his phone when it vibrates and regrets it when it makes his hangover throb back to life.Taking a deep breath, he reads the message.

Link: Thank you for the offer, I can just take an Uber.

Rhett hopes he’s saying that to be polite instead of saying it because he doesn’t want to spend time with him.

Rhett: I’m the one who made you take the Uber home. I’ll pick you up at 12:30?

He almost holds his breath the whole time he waits for a response, rolling his eyes at himself for his ridiculousness.

Link: Ok, see you then

Rhett lets out a breath and spends the next thirty minutes trying to come up with an excuse to get Link to spend more time with him. Since they already had lunch the day before, he comes up empty. Link sends his address and Rhett notes how close it is, only a two minute drive.

A little jittery and keyed up, he drives to Link’s.

Rhett knocks on the door and it’s a little awkward as they greet each other in the non-professional setting with last night’s images of each other burned into their minds. They release some tension as they get in the car and it becomes more comfortable. 

“Thanks for doing this, man,” Link says.

“Of course. Glad I was there so you didn’t drive home. Coulda been bad.”

Link chuckles, “I don’t usually drink much. Did I do anything embarrassing?”

Rhett can’t decide if he should be flirty or not, but the memories are pushing him to do it. “Nothing embarrassing, but memorable? Yes.”

Link stares at him with wide eyes and Rhett gives him a glance and a grin. “What? Rhett! What did I do?”

“Nothing! You didn’t do anything crazy. I just… I just personally wasn’t expecting you, let alone that version of you.” He sighs and keeps his eyes firmly on the road, anticipating Link’s reaction.

“I wasn’t expecting you or that version of you either.”

“I was informed after dancing with you that I was lucky to have your attention,” Rhett tells him with a smirk.

Link laughs, “The boys have built up a reputation about me, haven’t they? I guess you’re the only one who gets to see through the illusion.”

“I’m beginning to believe the principal is the illusion.”

Shaking his head, Link smiles. “I love those kids and I love what I do. I just like dancing and flirting to wind down.” There’s a few minutes of quiet where the radio plays softly. Rhett can practically hear Link thinking, trying to decide if he wants to breach a topic. “Wanna know something most people don’t know about me?” He asks casually, wearing a shit-eating grin. Rhett glances at him out of the corner of his eye and nods. “I already told you how I was mostly raised by my single mother so money was tight and I had to work through college. I was a stripper.”

Speechless, Rhett opens and closes his mouth a few times. The new images that flood Rhett’s brain are nothing short of sinful. Finally catching his breath, Rhett says, “I would have liked to see that.”

“Never said I can’t still do a private show.” Rhett very nearly swerves the car off the road as Link laughs in the passenger’s seat. He tries very hard not to think about the fact that it was his boss who just said that to him. Unbothered, Link asks, “Do you have time to stop for lunch?”

As they chat and eat lunch, Rhett fights off pictures of Link on a pole because he really does want to get to know the man before him as a friend too. It’s becoming very difficult. 

In the middle of the day on Thursday, Rhett walks by the office on his way to ask a teacher a question. Through the front office windows, he can see Link with a fist on his hip and a crease in his brow, gesturing as he says something to Mrs. Devan. He looks stressed and irritated. Rhett hopes he’ll still be up to coming over because it looks like he needs it today.

Link doesn’t cancel between the end of school and seven o’ clock, so Rhett is beaming when he opens the door to the principal at seven on the dot. “The back door is straight through the living room. I’ll grab some beers.” When Rhett steps outside, Link is sitting low in a deck chair with his eyes closed.

The man takes the beer with a tired, “Thank you,” and takes several long gulps. “I usually de-stress alone on weeknights, but this is really nice.” Rhett forces himself not to go down the path of thinking about what de-stressing alone could consist of.

“It’s nice tonight. I wish we could see more stars. You like camping?” Rhett asks.

“Yes, I used to camp all the time with high school and college buddies. I miss it. Camping alone isn’t the same.”

“We should go sometime,” Rhett suggests.

“Absolutely! Maybe spring break.”

They fall into silence, listening to the crickets. Rhett turns his head to admire Link’s profile, relaxed in his chair under the yellow porch light. He is truly beautiful and Rhett marvels at the fact that this man is single. He’s been looking for the catch over the past two weeks and he has yet to find one.

“I feel like I’m wasting time,” Link says, beer having loosened his lips. “I love my job, but there’s no one to come home to. Thirty-five and it’s almost like I’m waiting on something. All I have to do on the weekends is see my mom or dance in a club forty-five minutes away with men ten years younger than me. I love those things, but I guess I just feel old and like I’ve missed something.”

“I have a year on you and I feel the same way,” Rhett says, “I turned over my whole life just so I could feel like I’m doing something.”

“Can you believe we didn’t know each other before this? Like in high school? And we both grew up here.”

“It’s crazy,” Rhett chuckles, “I think I’ve heard your name before, but I never knew it belonged to such a nice face.”

“I think I heard about the really tall guy on the basketball team,” Link takes a swig of his beer. “I want to do something crazy. You busy Saturday?”

Rhett grins, it’s been a while since someone asked him that. “Nope. What if we went swimming in the river? I used to do that as a kid with my best friend Ben.”

“I did too, occasionally. But that’s not crazy enough,” Link says with mischief in his eyes. “Let’s go skinny dipping,” He challenges.

Rhett forgets to hesitate, “Yes. I’ll pick you up at ten.”

Link smiles and relaxes back in his chair as another bout of silence overtakes them. Rhett’s ears fill with the chorus of the crickets and his fingers itch for his guitar.

“Today was hard,” Link says. “Told you Thursdays are always bad.” Rhett picks up his instrument and begins to tune it softly. “A third grader lost both of her parents in a car wreck. I wish I could do more.”

“You do so much for the children in that school, Link. I never had a principal care about me the way you care about each and every one of those kids.” He strums the chords he’ll be using in the song to make sure they sound right.

“This principal cares about you,” Link says quietly. Rhett barely hears him over the crickets, but they share a long moment of eye contact and Rhett gives him a small smile. 

He starts the song Mama Tried by Merle Haggard and Link’s grin at the song choice lights up the whole porch, making Rhett nervous about his singing voice. He starts a little shaky, but he gets stronger with how effortlessly Link harmonizes. They both know every word.

Rhett made sure to brush up on all his Merle songs before Link came because they’d talked plenty about their shared love for the singer. They deplete Rhett’s reservoir of Merle songs and move on to other classic country. They sing country together late into the night, lacing the North Carolina air with voices seasoned in the south. Rhett can’t think of a voice he’s ever loved more than Link’s. In the safety of a little alcohol and late night hours, Rhett tells him so. Link goes home at last and Rhett is left with that beautiful tenor echoing in his mind.


	5. Perky Nips and Shouting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhett and Link have a relaxing (and revealing) Saturday together.

Just like last week, Friday can’t go by fast enough. After school, Rhett and Link text each other nothings about tomorrow. Rhett just wants to keep texting, but he has no plausible conversation topics because they’re going to be together for hours tomorrow. Going to bed, he feels excitement like a kid the night before a field trip.

When Rhett picks him up, Link has a huge grin on his face. “I’m glad we’re doing this, it feels like I haven’t done much recently. All my friends have partners and kids so they’re always busy.”

Rhett hums in agreement as he parks the car. They walk down to the water, cracking jokes and laughing without a care in the world. Rhett hesitates a few yards from the water, becoming self conscious, highly aware of the fact that Link is plenty comfortable in his own body and he is not. Link drops his towel on the ground and strips off his shirt. Clearing his throat, Rhett tries to keep his eyes off the man. “The beginning of March probably isn’t the best time for this, it’s going to be cold.”

Link looks over his shoulder and smirks, “Oh, come on, Rhett. We’re doing something crazy. I’d be disappointed if it wasn’t freezing. Surely you can handle some perky nips and shouting.”

Rhett snorts, “Link!”

Without warning, Link drops his shorts and underwear, saying, “Just don’t tell the children.” Rhett can’t take his eyes off of him and his self-consciousness doubles. “Hey, this isn’t fair,” Link gestures between them. Taking a deep breath, Rhett pulls his shirt off as Link openly watches. His steely blue gaze is almost too much to handle. Noting his discomfort, Link turns away when he reaches for his waistband, walking toward the water. Rhett removes the rest of his clothes in one swift move before he can chicken out and follows Link, savoring the view of his perfect backside. With a whoop, Link takes a running leap into the water and comes up yelling, “Crap it’s cold!”

“Told you!” Rhett says with a smile.

“Get in here before I climb back up and pull you in!” Link threatens. A blush spreads over Rhett’s cheeks and neck with Link’s eyes on him like this, so he takes the same jump Link did and plunges into the water. He comes up yelling the same thing Link had, but Link just laughs and swims over, grabbing Rhett’s shoulders and pushing him back under.

When Rhett gets back up for air, he says, “You coulda drowned me!”

The grin doesn’t leave Link’s face, “I’m pretty sure you can handle me.” Rhett’s mind helpfully provides a plethora of other scenarios where he could “handle” Link, so instead of dwelling on that, he lunges forward and grabs Link by the hips. The feeling of his skin under his hands causes him to falter especially with Link giggling and holding onto his forearms. Rhett still manages to lift him up and throw him back down in the water. 

They spend a while in the river, splashing and roughhousing like teenagers. They keep coming up with ways to get their hands on each other, but neither is brave enough to initiate something intimate. Eventually, the climb back up on the bank and lay out on their towels under the March sun. Link has no shame for his nakedness, but Rhett pulls his boxers back on. 

The principal has his eyes closed, so Rhett turns his head to take him in. This is so much different from the club. Link nearly looks like an angel or some kind of deity, laid out like this in the sun. Rhett examines every bone and muscle he can see under smooth, tan skin that glistens with moisture. His eyes caress the curves of his ribs and angles of his hip bones. It all comes together to form the most beautiful person he has ever seen. He makes the mistake of imagining his hands, lips, and tongue touching that skin and has to squeeze his eyes shut and picture his grandmother to keep it under control. He turns onto his stomach to stop himself from looking any longer.

“Let’s go camping at the beginning of spring break,” Link proposes, “It’s in two weeks.”

“Let’s do it,” Rhett replies, resting his head on his arms and looking at Link again. “I haven’t been in a while, not since before I went to Chicago.”

Link smiles lazily, “Ah, yes, big city engineer McLaughlin. Bachelor whose salary is somehow the smallest part of his sex appeal.”

“Maybe I should have come home more often, I could have met you earlier. Small town principal with a heart of gold, swept off his feet by the guy who moved to the big city and is only back for a couple weeks at Christmas. They get to know each other and spend time wishing they’d met in high school.”

Link laughs, “I didn’t know you were such a romantic, Rhett. You obviously keep the Hallmark channel on at Christmas.”

“No comment.”

Link grins, "I'm more of an action movie man. As a kid, I used to pretend to film action movies outside. I was always the suave hero, of course."

"You're still pretty suave, if I do say so myself."

They fall silent again and after a while, Link turns to his side and props his head up on his fist. Rhett watches his gaze travel down his body and there’s a smirk on Link’s face when he gets back up to Rhett’s eyes. “You could have been a stripper with those legs, Rhett.”

He laughs, “I don’t know about that, but if the offer still stands, I will eventually take that private dance from you.”

Link winks, “Oh, it still stands.” He lays back down with a sigh.

“You are full of surprises, Principal Neal.”

“Gotta keep ‘em guessing.”

They are sun soaked and sleepy when they finally get off the ground. As they pull on their clothes, Rhett thinks about kissing him. Something stops him, though. It’s like this is what he’s been waiting for and now that he’s got it, he doesn’t want to rush it. They listen to Merle with the windows down on the way back to Link’s house, Rhett glad to see Link so relaxed. Link leaves him with a smile and a promise to see him Monday. On the way home, Rhett tries to decide if this Saturday or last Saturday was better. Pulling into his driveway, he settles with the fact that there is no choosing, every moment with Link is the best.


	6. Coming Out Isn't One and Done

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhett and Link were living in a bit of a bubble with their relationship. It pops.

Link pulls Rhett aside at the beginning of a staff meeting on Wednesday afternoon and says, “When we’re done, I’d like to see you in my office.” Link leaves him standing there as he goes to start the meeting, leaving Rhett reeling at the personal and professional implications of that statement. The meeting is about planning a field day in April, but Rhett has trouble paying attention with Link’s words bouncing around in his brain and the man himself standing at the front of the room, all confidence and authority.

He goes to Link’s office a little too quickly after the meeting, so he’s waiting for the principal when he walks in. Rhett’s mind is split into two irrational halves of anxiety, one telling him Link realized how out of Rhett’s league he is and the other making him think he’s about to be fired for no reason. He doesn’t remember the principal’s office ever being this nerve wracking.

“Hey, Rhett,” Link says with a small smile as he takes a seat. Rhett follows suit in a much less relaxed way. Link gathers some papers and after looking at them for a moment, turns his attention to Rhett and chuckles, “Relax, man, nothing’s wrong. I just have to check in with you about your performance. You have great reports from Mrs. Gregson and some of the other teachers. You’re supposed to be with us as a student teacher through the end of the school year. Let me know if that changes for any reason.” They share a loaded look, prospects of the relationship they both want weighing heavy. “We can talk about future employment options at a later date. Do you have any questions at this time?”

Rhett thinks for a moment, but finally shakes his head and says, “No sir.” Both men freeze, eyes locked on each other. The expression on Link’s face definitely has non-professional thoughts behind it. Rhett’s cheeks heat up. They both know he said it out of force of habit, raised in the south with manners drilled into him. He notes that reaction for future reference and they both let out a breath.

Link nods, seeming to shake away whatever thoughts had come to mind as he slips out of his principal persona. “Okay, good.” He stands and stretches, putting away some things on his desk. “Walk out with me?”

“I have to grab my stuff from the classroom first.” They walk through the nearly empty school together, talking about things that had happened since Saturday. Mrs. Gregson greets them with a smile when they enter the classroom and engages Link in small talk as Rhett gathers his things. The principal exits the room first and Rhett turns to say one last goodbye to Mrs. Gregson.

“You two have a good night,” she says with a knowing smile. Rhett waves then catches up with Link.

“Does she know something?” Link asks after a few steps in silence.

Rhett shakes his head and bumps his hand into the back of Link’s. “No, she’s just a wise woman who’s watched young people crush on each other for twenty years. Are we keeping this a secret, though? I need to know if that’s the case.” He holds the door open for Link.

“It doesn’t need to be a secret, we aren’t breaking any rules.” Link sighs as they walk toward their cars and end up leaning against Rhett’s. “I was in the closet for a long time when I was younger. I can’t technically lose my job over this, but people are homophobic so I can’t know for sure.”

Rhett takes Link’s hand and squeezes. “I don’t know what we’re calling this, but I’m okay with keeping it discrete.”

Link squeezes his hand back and smiles up at him. “Would you like to go to dinner with me tonight?”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay, I’ll pick you up in a couple hours.” Link scans the parking lot before reaching up to give Rhett a kiss on the cheek. His skin tingles all the way home.

When Link picks him up, he’s wearing that maroon button down again and it hits Rhett full force that this is a date and it’s the first real date he’s been on since he lived in Chicago. He greets Link with a grin and a kiss on the cheek that makes Link giggle at the touch of his beard. 

Rhett resists initiating anything because he’s not sure how public Link wants to be, but Link stands close to him when they’re waiting for their table.

“Wow, the food smells good. I’m hungry,” Rhett says as they get seated in the booth. Link hums in agreement and gazes out the window at the sunset. 

The waiter takes their order and after he leaves, Link seems to relax. “Forgive me, it’s been a while since I’ve been on a proper date.”

Rhett smiles, “Me too. How about some ice breakers?”

Link laughs, “Hit me.”

“What’s your favorite color?”

He watches Link as he thinks, breath taken away by the way the setting sun makes Link glow. “Probably green. What about you?”

“Blue.”

Link smirks, “What shade?”

“Your eyes,” Rhett replies quietly.

“That’s what a lot of people came for when I was stripping,” Link says with a wink.

“Surely that’s not the only thing people came for,” Rhett says in mock surprise.

Link smiles and Rhett notices how he doesn’t acknowledge the compliment. “Now that I’ve told you my previous occupation, I hope you aren’t just in this for my body.”

“Nah, Link, I’m in it for your money. Gotta get that principal salary.”

Link laughs and offers his hand on the table, Rhett quickly takes it. “You know, I never expected to meet hot singles in my career field,” Link says.

“Oh, me either. That first time I walked into your office I was glad you weren’t looking at me because I was taken aback by your age and attractiveness.”

Link grins with a twinkle in his eye,”Whereas I was expecting a twenty-something kid and I turned around to find a hot man with no wedding ring.”

“Mr. Neal! How are-” A woman in her forties interrupts their conversation. Standing behind her are her husband and two kids. The kids are messing with each other and Rhett recognizes the older boy to be Joshua from his class. The woman’s gaze is fixed on their intertwined hands and Rhett expects Link to jerk away immediately. Instead he gives his hand a squeeze and pointedly holds it a few moments longer before releasing his grip.

“Good evening Mrs. Miller, how are you?” Link asks politely. Rhett admires the genuine interest and kindness in his voice because the way the woman’s face is souring, he’s pretty sure she’s not going to return the sentiment.

The woman does a one-eighty, turning to push her husband and kids toward the exit where they were headed in the first place. She’s too late, though, because Joshua notices Rhett. “Mr. McLaughlin!” Joshua says with a grin.

“Hey, Joshua! Ready for the times tables competition tomorrow?” He gives the boy a high-five, easily turning on his teacher persona.

“Yeah! I think I can finally beat Zach! But none of us can beat you.”

Mrs. Miller’s eyes grow impossibly wider as she begins to understand that her son’s student teacher is the one on a date with the principal. Her brain might explode.

“I’ve had a few more years to practice,” Rhett tells Joshua, “Be ready, I think Mrs. Gregson has a pretty good prize for tomorrow.”

Mrs. Miller shoots a death glare between the two men at the table before gripping her son’s arm and pulling him away from the table while he’s still waving to Rhett.

The waiter brings their food moments later, so they don’t talk about the incident until they’ve gotten a few forkfulls in their mouths. 

“I’m surprised she didn’t say anything,” Link comments.

“It’s worse here than I remembered,” Rhett says, “I guess she’ll tell all the parents or something.”

Link nods and takes a sip of his drink, “They’ve always speculated anyway. As much as I keep it on the down-low, I don’t exactly give off straight energy. I have no idea what they’ll do about it, though.”

“I’ll back you up no matter what happens,” Rhett promises, reaching over to squeeze his hand again.

Changing gears, a smirk finds its way onto Link’s face, “Wanna come to the club with me on Saturday night? I need some space to be more gay than this.”

Rhett laughs, “You want me to go with you?”

“Of course, I don’t want to dance with anyone else if you’re there.”

Rhett feels a blush creep onto his cheeks, “Oh, I’ll be there, then.”

“What’s the matter?” Link leans back against the seat like he has Rhett all figured out. “Don’t wanna watch me dance with other men?”

Rhett grins, he loves seeing this side of Link. “Not that it isn’t hot to watch, but I do like having you all to myself.”

“I’ll drive,” Link offers, “I’m not going to drink because I want to remember every second.”

“Sounds good. Let’s get some dessert, I’ve got the check.”


	7. Shut Up, Karen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who knew holding hands in a restaurant would have this much fallout. 
> 
> Major homophobia in this one with some slurs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter features a homophobic Karen screaming at Link. Please skip if that is a trigger for you!

The next morning, it’s raining and the forecast says it’s going to rain all day. Rhett sits down next to Joshua where he’s coloring during indoor recess.

“Nice job on your multiplication this morning. You beat Zach like you wanted to!”

“Thanks,” Joshua mumbles, barely glancing up at Rhett.

Concern washes through Rhett for the usually excited boy. “Everything okay, Joshua?”

He stays quiet for a while before saying, “My mama says I can’t talk to you.”

“Oh. Did she say why?”

Joshua thinks on his answer for a long time and it reminds Rhett of his younger self. “She said you make God angry.”

Rhett takes a moment to figure out what to say to this kid. He can’t undermine his mother’s authority and he can’t explain homophobia outright to a ten year old. “The truth is, we all make God angry sometimes. People disagree on what makes him mad. In the end, it’s really a personal thing. If God is angry with me, it has nothing to do with you or your mom.” He takes a deep breath, hoping he didn’t say anything Joshua will tell his mom and make her madder. He just hopes there will be enough influences in this boy’s life that help him be more open minded.

He looks up at Rhett with wide eyes, “So I can still talk to you?” Rhett nods and smiles. Joshua grins, “Yay!”

The speaker system clicks on, “Mrs. Gregson, please send Stella Hutch to the office.” The class all turns to look at Stella and she goes pale. 

“Go back to what you were doing, class,” Mrs. Gregson says as Rhett pulls Stella aside. The little girl is one of the best students in the class. She’s smart and she tries her best and Rhett can already see her as a CEO one day. Right now, though, her lip is trembling and Rhett can feel her fear of being in trouble coming off of her in waves. He kneels down to be level with her.

“Am I in trouble?” she asks.

“Not at all sweetie,” Mrs. Gregson says, smoothing a hand down her arm

“I’ve never been sent to the principal’s office.”

“If you want, Mr. McLaughlin can walk with you.” Stella takes a deep breath and nods, turning big brown eyes on him.

Rhett walks with her out of the classroom, trying to think of something to say to comfort her. She grabs his hand. “Don’t worry, Stella. Principal Neal is very kind. You aren’t in trouble so you have nothing to worry about.” The little girl lifts her head and squares her shoulders. “Once when I was your age, I threw a rock through a window at school and got sent to the principal’s office.”

Stella looks up at him, wide-eyed, “Really?”

“Yes. And the principal was a mean old man with a mustache and when he got angry it would wiggle like this.” He demonstrates and gets her giggling. “Mr. Neal doesn’t have a mustache and he isn’t old. Besides, it’s probably just your mom here to pick you up or something.”

The pair enters the front office and are greeted by yelling coming from the principal’s office. Mrs. Devan flinches when the word ‘faggot’ rings through the room. It sets Rhett’s blood boiling, but this isn’t a situation where Rhett can do anything at all. He hates feeling so powerless.

“Stella, you can have a seat. Your mother is here to pick you up and it should only be a moment,” Mrs. Devan says, managing to remain calm and professional over the screeching of Stella’s mother. “Mr. McLaughlin, I can watch her, so you can go back to your classroom.”

Stella squeezes his hand tight and looks to Mrs. Devan, “Please can he stay?” 

Mrs. Devan’s eyes shift between the two of them and Link’s office door before she says, “Of course, dear.”

They take a seat and Rhett is nearly trembling with fury listening to bits and pieces of the horrendous things Link is being called.

“I’m not done!” The woman shouts, words jarring the three people in the office as Link had opened the door, holding it for her to leave. “I cannot believe you have held up this ruse all these years! Exposing innocent children to your disgusting way of life! And now you have another faggot in the classroom with my daughter?! On this very desk, I bet you’ve fuc-”

“Mrs. Hutch,” Link interrupts firmly.

“Haven’t you?!” she screams.

“Mrs. Hutch!” Link says again, “Your daughter is outside. Anything else can be handled without you returning to the premises. Good day.”

That’s all the warning Rhett has before the woman is storming out of the office and her eyes fall on him holding her daughter’s hand. “Get your hands off my daughter, you filthy-”

“Get out!” Link shouts, shocking everyone with his volume and ferocity because of the calm he’d maintained up until this point. “Leave my school.”

The woman grabs her daughter and hurries out. Rhett’s eyes are glued to the man standing in the doorway, chest heaving and eyes bluer than ever. He’s beyond angry and a little turned on, but he mostly just wants to place a soothing hand on Link’s back. “Mrs. Devan, please make the rest of the arrangements for Stella’s withdrawal. Mr. McLaughlin, you may return to your classroom.” His voice has mostly returned to normal, but his posture has not. He’s tense from head to toe as he turns on his heel and shuts the door to the office. Rhett wants so badly to go in after him and comfort him. He doesn’t dare because he’s pretty sure it would earn him his own earful. He glances at Mrs. Devan with the knowledge that she now knows the nature of his and Link’s relationship. She has a sad look on her face as she watches him take a deep breath and leave the office. Mrs. Gregson can’t ask when he returns, but it’s easy to tell his mind is elsewhere throughout the rest of class.

Once all the kids have been sent home for the day, Rhett makes a beeline for Link’s office. Mrs. Devan is already gone, so he knocks on the open door and leans in the door frame to wait on Link to finish a call. Eventually, he slams the phone down and leans on his hands on the desk, shoulders sagging. “Tell me I’m not going to be fired,” he says after a while.

“You aren’t going to be fired.”

Link scoffs, “I wish I could believe that.”

“It isn’t your fault, Link.”

He chuckles darkly, “Yeah, you can take half the blame.” He straightens up and pushes both hands into his hair, pulling like he’s going to tear it out. “For once I have some faith in humanity and believe we’d be fine because the rule book is on our side. But this town is so full of small minded homophobes, I’m sure the school board could fire me for nothing and receive no backlash. You should see the number of hateful emails poor Mrs. Devan had to sift through today and it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since one person saw us having dinner together. It’s not like we were fucking on school property.”

“I say screw it, we’ve already gotten this far.”

Link levels a withering glare at him, “Thanks for your comforting words.” He starts gathering his stuff.

“I’m sorry, Link, that was the wrong thing to say. It’s going to be okay. You can fight this. You’re an amazing principal and anyone would be stupid not to see how valuble you are.”

Link’s voice loses its edge and gives way to exhaustion. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, so if you’re called to the office sometime soon, expect questioning or something.” He walks past Rhett.

“Link, I’m sorry. Let me-”

“Have a good evening,” Link says without turning his head.


	8. Forgive and Eat Cookie Dough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They've had a hard few days and they finally catch a bit of a break.

Rhett spends the whole of Friday waiting for a call to the office. None ever comes. It pains him the way he and Link left each other yesterday. He only dared to call twice, but received no answer. He typed out numerous apology texts, but backspaced all of them. At the end of the day, he decides not to seek him out, thinking he’ll try calling again later.

“Rhett!” It could only be Link’s voice. He waits for him at his car, smile on his face despite himself. Link says nothing, just walks up and wraps his arms around him, squeezing him tightly. Rhett squeezes right back.

“I’m sorry for what I said, I know it was a bad time,” Rhett murmurs into his hair, not letting go in the slightest.

“I forgive you. I’m sorry for snapping at you and not answering your calls.” The words allow for a comfortable silence between them and they hold each other for a long time. Link loosens his grip enough to lean back a little and says into Rhett’s chest, “Can we go back to your place and sing a while?”

Rhett replies, “Of course.”

They sing together on the porch until sunset, rarely speaking, harmonizing until their voices are horse and the stars are coming out. At last, Rhett sets down his guitar and they listen to the crickets.

“You aren’t in trouble,” Link speaks into the night. “As your professional superior, it seems that the blame has fallen to me. Like there’s something to blame people for.” He sighs and lets his head fall back where it hits the chair back with a thump. “Since you started working at the school recently, they know they can get rid of you easily. They’re mostly worried about my sexual preferences.” He lets out a long sigh and Rhett places his hand over Link’s on the arm of the chair. “Rhett, why does the fact that I like dick and crop tops have to interfere with the job I love? Why couldn't I just like vaginas and khaki shorts?”

Rhett chuckles, “Because then you wouldn’t be Link.”

The man laughs without humor, “I wish it was two seperate parts of me. Like, I wish I knew I felt more alive when dancing rather than being with the kids at school. But I’m just as much me at the club as I am helping the kids do student council.”

Rubbing his thumb over Link’s knuckles, Rhett smiles softly, “That’s one of the reasons I like you so much.” And if he’s honest, it’s one of the reasons he’s falling for the man. “Surely they can’t fire you.”

“I don’t know how long you were in Chicago, but they really can,” Link’s voice cracks on the last word.

Rhett opens his arms, “Come ‘ere.”

Link looks at him in surprise, “Uh, but I’m…”

“You aren’t too heavy, I’m a big man,” Rhett winks and gestures to him again.

Link slowly lowers himself onto Rhett’s thighs and throws his legs over the arm of the chair, head naturally coming to rest on his shoulder. Rhett wraps one arm around his waist and the other around his back, pleased to find how perfectly they fit together. “I’m a grown ass man,” Link grumbles.

“Grown ass men gotta be held sometimes.”

Rhett hums a song they were singing earlier until Link relaxes into him and feels like speaking again. “It’s been two days and five kids have been pulled out of school. Seven parents have called to say their kids won’t be back after spring break. One teacher has put in their notice that they won’t be back after the end of the school year. All that in two days. I have no idea what’s going to happen next week.”

“Unless the school board steps in, you’re still the principal. You’re a really good one. I chose to do my student teaching at your school because I’d heard what a great principal you are and how well you run the place. That was way before I discovered how hot you are.” Link chuckles. “You do your job to the best of your ability until they force you out of there.”

Link takes a deep breath, “Okay. Thank you. Nothing can be done until Monday, so from this point forward, I’m going to enjoy the weekend.” He gives Rhett a kiss on the temple and stands to stretch.

“Stay for dinner,” Rhett offers, standing also.

He makes meatballs from the ground beef he’d been defrosting for himself anyways and finds some green beans in the freezer. Rhett quickly finds Link to be useless in the kitchen, so he sends him to sit at the counter and turn on some music. Soon, Link is singing and dancing around the living room and Rhett is feeling happier than he has in a very long time.

Once the meatballs and green beans are in the oven, Rhett can no longer resist grabbing Link by the waist and dancing with him. It’s so much different from the club. It’s slow and soft and all he can smell and feel is Link. They sway with smiles on their faces, selfishly taking each other in until the timer goes off. 

“Well, aren’t you a hopeless romantic,” Link says when Rhett sets a candle on the table with their plates.

“It’s not seeming so hopeless tonight. Now, when I light one while eating by myself…”

They carefully keep the conversation away from work and Link continues to brighten up during dinner. He insists on washing the dishes and Rhett teases him about it until he admits he enjoys doing it.

Digging around in the freezer for dessert, Rhett says, “All I can find is chocolate chip cookie dough.”

“Yes! Let’s just eat that!” Link says with a grin as he dries his hands.

“Are you sure? I could-”

“Yep!” Link grabs it out of his hand and collapses into the couch. He pinches a piece off and pops it in his mouth with a satisfied sigh. Rhett shrugs and sits next to him, taking off a bite of his own. “You know what I wish there was?” Link says, “Chocolate chip-less chocolate chip cookie dough.”

Rhett laughs, “That’s a tongue twister. Isn’t that just sugar cookie dough?”

“No, no, no,” Link insists, “It tastes different.”

“If you say so.” After that, Rhett silently develops a system, making Link hold out the log of cookie dough so he can pick all the chocolate chips out of the top part. Link then gets a chocolate chip-less bite and they repeat. 

Eventually, they get tired of it and Link sets it down on the coffee table. Neither moves to turn on the TV or get up. They run their fingers lightly over each other’s hands until Rhett finally turns his head to meet Link’s eyes. He’s so caught up drowning in pools of blue that he doesn’t realize he’s leaning forward. They pause a centimeter from each other’s lips, breaths ghosting over each other’s faces. Rhett can’t remember ever wanting anything more in his life than to kiss the man in front of him, so he does.

His lips are softer than he could have imagined and he tastes like sugar. Rhett tentatively brings his hand up to cup the back of Link’s neck and begins to move his lips and get used to the feeling of Link’s mouth. After a handful of seconds, they separate, breathing too hard from a kiss that short. “It’s been way too long since I’ve been kissed like that,” Link whispers, eyes flitting between Rhett’s gaze and his lips.

“Then I won’t make you wait for another,” Rhett says before leaning forward again. He slowly eases Link down to his back and once they’re settled, introduces his tongue, languidly exploring the man’s mouth. Mellow and sleepy, they make out lazily until their kisses become soft brushes and finally Rhett simply relaxes and holds the man beneath him. They shift to their sides and Rhett hugs Link to himself. His whole body is warm and he feels content and Link’s breath tickles his neck as it slows. As he falls asleep himself, Rhett vaguely registers that Link was planning on going home. 

When Rhett wakes up again, he cranes his neck to read the stove clock that says it’s one thirty in the morning. He carefully carries Link to his bedroom and tucks him under the covers, earning a sleepy sigh. He kisses his lips softly, grabbing sweatpants and a blanket before heading back to the couch. 

It takes Rhett a minute to figure out why he slept on the couch in his own house, but then he turns his head to find the cookie dough on the coffee table and smiles at the thought of the man in his bed. He stands and stretches, putting the dessert back in the freezer for the next time Link is over. He can’t help but think about what might be different the next time Link spends the night. Without the energy to start breakfast, he lays back down to doze.

“Rhett?” asks a sleepy voice.

He opens his eyes to see Link standing at the end of the hall wearing only boxers and one of Rhett’s t-shirts that’s way too big on him. He thinks he might spontaneously combust over how adorable and attractive it is. 

Link yawns, “Why didn’t ya come to bed with me?”

Rhett rushes to fix the hurt in his voice, “I wanted to, but we hadn’t discussed it. I didn’t want to wake you to ask, you’ve had a hard couple of days.”

Link grins and climbs on top of him, resting his head on his chest. Rhett slips a hand under his shirt and draws soothing circles on his back. “Working the job I did when I was younger, I stopped believing men like you exist. It’s also why I quit dating. Consent was violated a few too many times.”

Kissing his hair and holding him tight, Rhett tries not to let his anger bubble up. He hates how casually Link can say it. He attempts to take a deep breath, but it catches in his throat and tears well in his eyes.

Link lifts his head, “Rhett?” he asks softly.

“When you told me what you used to do, I hoped that maybe you’d escaped experiences like that. I knew logically you probably hadn’t, I just hoped. Back in Chicago, I volunteered occasionally at a shelter for people who had nowhere to go who’d been sexually abused. They asked me to be there sometimes because I can help people feel protected, but I’ll never forget the fear on the faces of some of those people before they’d met me just because I’m capable of overpowering the average person. It’s why I’m so conscious of my size and my ability to be intimidating.”

Kissing him tenderly, Link says, “You’re one of the most gentle and kind men I’ve ever met.”

They lie in silence for a while. Images of the people he met and loved flood Rhett’s mind. He hasn’t thought about many of them in a while and it makes his heart ache. It makes him think of the kids in his class too. Part of the reason he wanted to teach is because he knows the signs of people being abused and he wants to be in a place where he can help if needed. “I got to hear of a lot of the abusers going to jail,” Rhett says after a while.

“That’s good,” Link murmurs.

“I just wish the men who took advantage of you were with them.”

“If we ever see any of them around Buise Creek, maybe I’ll let you loose on them. It’s in the past, though. Here in the present, your hands are on me and I want them on me. And next time, I want you in bed with me, so consider it discussed.” Link smiles and kisses his nose.

Rhett’s stomach rumbles loudly and Link giggles. “Okay. I’m starving, lemme get up to make breakfast.” Link laughs when he lifts him by his hips, almost causing a tumble to the floor. He stretches his arms above his head and Rhett’s eyes are drawn to the sliver of skin below the hem of the shirt. 

Link sits on the counter and turns on some music as Rhett gets eggs and bacon out of the fridge. “Whatcha thinking about?” he asks when he notices Link staring into space.

He turns back to the eggs as Link hums in thought. “Trying to decide what I want to wear tonight.”

That conjures some fantastic images for Rhett and he smirks over his shoulder, “I am a fan of crop tops.”

Link grins, “That was practically a casual outfit. You haven’t seen anything yet.”

Rhett slides a plate toward him, saying, “I can’t wait.”

After breakfast, they lay on the couch and watch mindless TV while tangled in each other. Rhett loves the way Link looks in his shirt, all soft and youthful. Link eventually pulls out of the driveway with a promise to be back at seven-thirty. Since he didn’t sleep very well, Rhett heads back to bed, breathing in deeply when he finds Link’s scent there. He can’t wait until he gets a chance to curl up in bed next to him. Maybe next week.


	9. When it Rains, it Pours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys go to the club and the night doesn't end how they thought it would. 
> 
> *This chapter contains descriptions of a club shooting.*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter describes a club shooting. Please DO NOT READ if you are sensitive to that.

The doorbell rings and Rhett glances in the mirror one last time to make sure he’s ready. Popping one more button on his royal blue button down, he strides toward the door.

He was not at all ready for what greets him on the other side. Link must have in contacts because he’s not wearing his glasses and his eyes are surrounded by black eyeliner, mascara, and gold eye shadow. The makeup makes his eyes look even more impossibly blue. He wears a sheer black shirt that shimmers gold when he moves that’s tucked into leather shorts that barely even reach his thighs. Finally, on his feet he has leather lace up platform heel boots.

“Oh, wow, Link, you look absolutely incredible.” His eyes roam the man a moment longer before he wraps an arm around his waist and gives him a kiss, surprised at how the extra height makes it feel. “I don’t know if I can make it until we get back here to rip these clothes off and take proper care of you,” he whispers in his ear.

Link laughs and gazes into his eyes, “Well, you’re gonna have to because I want to dance. I hope you can stand those tight black jeans getting a little tighter.” He sways his hips on the way back to the car and Rhett seriously questions if he can make it.

Rhett has never been more proud to go somewhere with a particular person on his arm than he is right now. He smiles all the way from the car to the door, a smug look on his face as Link chats with the bouncer who’s eyeing him carefully. His hand doesn’t leave Link’s lower back until they reach the bar and he has his first drink in his hand. They’re the two tallest people in the place, even with other men in heels. Link gets countless compliments on his outfit and he hands out plenty of compliments in turn. Rhett feels eyes on them while he drinks, dances, and kisses Link. His favorite stares to catch are the jealous ones and they make him hold Link’s hips a little tighter.

He’s getting his fourth drink and Link is talking to a friend when a man comes up to him. “You gonna share your twink?” he asks.

“It’s his choice to dance with you, but it’s me he’s going home with,” Rhett says, tone daring the man to ask. 

Rhett's trying to decide between wringing his neck and letting Link lose on him when a guy Rhett recognizes from last time seems to have overheard them. He turns and leans toward the man who’s staring lustfully at Link. “You must be new here,” says the familiar man, shouting over the music, “Neal dances with whoever he wants for however long he wants, but this is the only man who has ever taken him home. And judging by Neal’s greatly reduced number of partners tonight, he’s the only one he’s dancing with from now on.” The man glares at the regular for a moment before turning it on Rhett. Link walks back over and deciphers the situation in a matter of seconds. Though usually a man of many words, he doesn’t use any now, he just pulls Rhett down for an open mouthed kiss. Rhett’s not complaining when he grabs his hand and leads him to the dance floor.

“I’d forgotten you’re a little bit of a legend,” Rhett says in his ear, hands firmly around his waist as he sways to the beat.

Link laughs, “I just know the tricks of the trade. Be likable and stay vague. Develop habits and everyone notices when they change. I think everyone has noticed.”

“Some of your usual boys disappointed?”

“Let them be disappointed. I can’t stop them from watching.”

Rhett pulls him flush against his body in response and spreads light kisses over his neck. Every once in a while, he does notice eyes watching and he has no idea if it makes him more jealous or more turned on.

“I’m all yours,” Link assures him, bringing his face up for a kiss. A shiver runs down his spine at the confirmation. Link gets to work on his neck and Rhett closes his eyes. It’s more heated than anything they’ve done yet and he swallows down the moans he wants to give at the feeling of Link’s lips, tongue, and teeth. He sinks into the sensation, lights flashing brightly through his eyelids. The base vibrates through his feet and the alcohol works in his brain, making everything fuzzy. Link’s pelvis grinds against his own to the rhythm and his mouth mixes spit with sweat over Rhett’s neck and collar bones. He’s thinking about taking Link to the back and ravishing him against a wall when he registers a loud sound that doesn’t match the music. His hazy brain tells him there’s nothing to worry about, so he doesn’t until he realizes Link is pulling on his neck and yelling his name. Rhett comes back to himself in a split second and opens his eyes, Link’s face coming into sharp focus. There’s panic in his eyes. Gunshots ring out over the music.

Finally obeying Link’s arms, Rhett drops to the floor, forcing the smaller man underneath him. There are some people on the ground, but many are still standing and a few are dancing. The music still plays, making it unclear where the gunshots are coming from. He knows Link can’t run very far in those heels as he looks around them frantically for cover. He rolls off of him and shoves him towards the bar on his hands and knees. They rush to crawl behind it and Rhett is yanking his phone out of his pocket and dialing 911. He holds Link tight to himself, in the process making room for more people to squeeze into the space. Not able to hear anything over the screams and gunshots, he shouts the address into the phone over and over. When his breath and energy run out, he lets his phone slide to the floor and wraps his other arm around Link. He vaguely registers Link muttering words of reassurance into his ear, but what he mostly needs is the feeling of the man in his arms, alive and breathing. 

Nine people hide together behind the bar, shaking with fear, screams of terror and pain ringing in their ears. The mirror above them shatters and glass rains down on them; Rhett instinctively covers Link’s face, holding him even more tightly to his body. Rhett is sure they’re about to die, countless times he’s convinced the shooter is coming around the edge of the bar. The music still plays and no one in his field of vision moves. Eventually, the faint noise of sirens can be heard, but Rhett still doesn’t relax. He remains still with his back pressed into the cabinets, knob digging painfully into his spine.

The music stops abruptly, leaving their ears ringing. When he has his sound bearings again, he begins to hear the confident voices of emergency personnel and the pained groaning of injured people. Someone finds the group behind the bar and they’re gently encouraged to stand to be checked for wounds. Rhett’s hands never leave Link and he’s convinced if they did he wouldn’t be able to hold it together any longer. Once confirmed healthy, they’re led back through the club, past crying and bleeding people and finally outside. Rhett clutches Link’s hand for dear life. 

At last, they’re left alone on the sidewalk. There’s nothing left to do but hold each other, so that’s all they do as the adrenaline dissipates. When Rhett can feel Link breathing normally again, he asks, “Can you drive home?”

Link nods. They don’t let go of each other’s hands or break the silence again all the way home. Link numbly pulls into the driveway and gets out, unlocking the door. Rhett doesn’t even think to ask about going back to his own house.

“Do you need anything to drink?” Link asks quietly once they’re inside.

“No, thank you,” Rhett says, “I can sleep on the couch if you-” He doesn’t even finish his offer before Link is shaking his head vigorously, to Rhett’s relief. Link takes his hand again and leads him to the bedroom. They take their clothes off and each take a shower, speaking very little. Rhett slides into bed with Link, not sure what he’s comfortable with, but the moment he’s settled, Link wraps himself around him and nuzzles his face into his neck. 

“Is this okay?” he asks.

“Yes,” Rhett replies easily, pulling him even closer. It takes them a long time to fall asleep, but they’re okay with laying there as long as they’re wrapped in each other.


	10. Nothing Heals in a Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's hard to know what to do after a tragedy. The boys push themselves a little too far.

When Rhett opens his eyes to sunlight the next morning, the night’s memories flood back in too quickly and his heart starts racing. He turns his head to look at Link who’s sleeping peacefully. The man had moved away a little during the night, but he still has an arm and a leg draped over Rhett. Rhett watches his back rise and fall and evens out his breath by matching him. He looks so relaxed in sleep, jaw slack and lips parted. Rhett covers the hand on his chest with his own. This isn’t how he imagined his first time sleeping and waking with Link would be. He thought it would be a passionate first time followed by a few rounds of euphoric whatever else. They’d wake up with lazy smiles, sore in all the right places.

In reality, Rhett’s back and knees ache. They took separate showers before getting in bed and even though they’re naked upon waking, Rhett has no desire for sexual intimacy. He rubs circles into the back of Link’s hand with his thumb and worries about how he’ll feel when he wakes up. When he stirs, Rhett turns to look at him, those blue eyes blinking open to catch him staring. Link mumbles, “Morning,” turning to his side to move closer. Rhett kisses his hair and takes a deep breath, forcing himself to relax.

After a while, Link shifts back again so they can see each other’s faces. He says in a hushed voice, “I don’t know what I would have done if you’d been injured or-”

“Shh,” Rhett interrupts, “We’re both alive and safe.”

“We’ve done active shooter drills at school, I just never thought…”

“No one ever thinks it’ll happen to them.”

Link squeezes his hand and sits up to stretch. “We should check the news to see how many people were… hurt. In the next hour or so, I need to call Julian, the club owner. We’ve known each other a long time. And then I need to pull myself together enough to go to school tomorrow.”

“Link, no one is going to expect us to be at one-hundred percent. We could call out for tomorrow. We have to handle this in a healthy way.”

He shakes his head, “It’s only one week until spring break and I wasn’t physically affected. With everything going on at school, I have to be there. I won’t blame you if you need to take a day or two.”

“I’ll go if you’re going, but you have to promise me you’ll let yourself process everything. Your life was stressful before. I had a therapist in Chicago and he helped me understand how important it is to let yourself feel things.”

Without response, Link grabs his glasses off the side table and changes the subject. “I left my phone in the kitchen. Can you check the news?”

Rhett opens his phone to missed calls and texts from his mom, brother and friends. How did they know he was there? He chooses facebook as his news source and the first thing he sees is a photo. He wordlessly hands the phone to Link.

The man sighs and closes his eyes, leaning back against the headboard. “School board’s gonna love that expression of my sexuality.” The picture is of them embracing on the sidewalk. There’s no denying that it’s them.

Rhett takes the phone back and scrolls through the article linked below. “Twelve killed, twenty three injured. Shooter is in custody. No names listed for privacy.”

Link nods, “Lotta people who went there weren’t out. Imagine finding out something like that about a loved one after they’re dead.” Link gets out of bed and pulls on some clothes. “I’m gonna call my mom and Julian.” Rhett takes that time to call his parents and bother, refusing to answer his mom’s questions about who he was with. He texts some friends that he’s okay and then goes looking for more information on what happened. It feels like all he can see is that photo of him and Link. It’s floating around everywhere as a sort of symbol that the community needs to come together. The opposite seems to be happening as all the homophobes emerge, saying that they deserved it and even that the shooter was doing righteous work. Rhett finally stops reading and goes to find Link in the kitchen. “There are funerals for three people I knew next Saturday, otherwise, there’s not much we can do.”

“Want me to go with you?”

“Yes.” Rhett wraps his arms around Link’s waist and nuzzles his nose into his neck, breathing in his scent. “Your instinct was to protect me,” Link says, setting his phone down on the counter and leaning back into Rhett.

“Mhm,” Rhett kisses his neck softly, “I guess when you’re this much bigger than most people, protecting becomes your first instinct.”

“You make me feel safe, Rhett, not just physically.”

“You make me feel safe too.”

They spend the rest of the afternoon in a lazy limbo, always touching each other in some way. They keep each other engaged in the present, independently preparing their minds to go back to work. They share a long hug and kiss in Rhett’s driveway and promise each other they’ll check in before school tomorrow. An irrational streak of fear grips Rhett as he watches Link drive away. 

Monday is harder than Rhett anticipated. The long hug he and Link shared behind the closed door of Link’s office that morning only carries him halfway through the day. Mrs. Gregson mentions several times that he should go home, but Rhett refuses. He pours his remaining energy into helping the kids. Once they’ve all been safely sent home, Rhett slumps into a desk chair, gathering the energy to drive home.

“Rhett, honey, don’t push yourself too hard. I’m sure Mr. Neal would understand if you took some days off. He should consider it himself. Please be gentle with yourself, sweetheart,” Mrs. Gregson says, patting his shoulder. She leaves the room and Rhett looks down. Stella’s name is still taped to the desk in front of him. He remembers her laughing at his ridiculous jokes and her eagerness to answer questions and she and her group of friends playing superheroes on the playground. None of those friends had assumed her role as Captain America since she’d left. 

It feels like life has gotten so much better and so much harder since he started this job and met Link. Thinking back, he realizes it’s only been three weeks. These three weeks have been filled with more love than Rhett has ever felt in any previous three. He loves these children more than anything. He’ll readily admit that he’s falling for Link.

He’s responsible for tearing a hole in Link’s career just by being with him and that is causing parents to pull their children from school and rip them away from their friends. He can’t blame himself for the shooting, but he does wonder if it would have been better for him to jump in front of one of those bullets and let someone else live instead. 

Eyes welling with tears, Rhett presses the heels of his hands into his eyes to keep them from dropping. Placing his elbows on the desk, he lets out a shaky sob.

“Oh, Rhett,” Link whispers when he sees him from the doorway. He walks quickly across the room and Rhett feels a gentle hand lifting his face. He wraps his arms around Link’s waist and pulls him between his legs. Link guides his head to rest on his chest and runs his fingers through his hair. Rhett lets himself cry and Link doesn’t complain as tears soak through his shirt.

“It’s all my fault,” Rhett says between deep breaths.

“What?” Link pulls back and moves a chair over in front of him so they’re knee to knee. He wipes tears from Rhett’s face and holds his hands. “What are you talking about?”

“Your job and the kids being pulled out, I just feel like I've made your life hell these past three weeks.”

“Rhett, I easily could have not held your hand that night. I could have asked not to be with you in public. But I made those choices because I want people to know I’m with you. I like being with you and I’m willing to fight for my job over that.”

Rhett shakes his head and looks at his knees, unable to meet those intense blue eyes as he says, “I like being with you too. So, so much. I’m just not sure we should-”

“You’re under a lot of stress right now. Don’t say anything you’ll regret.” They hold eye contact for a long moment. Rhett knows full well he would regret what he was going to say. “The time I’ve spent with you these past few weeks have made me happier than I’ve ever been.”

“Me too,” Rhett admits quietly.

Link kisses his forehead and stands, saying, “Let’s pick up dinner and go back to my house.” Rhett nods and stands too, pushing in the desk chairs and throwing one last glance at Stella’s name.


	11. Communication is Key

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It takes leaning on each other to get back to normal again.

As they walk through the parking lot hand in hand, a voice yells, “Mr. Neal! Mr. Neal!” They turn to find a little black girl running towards them, braids bouncing everywhere. She looks to be about second grade. Link kneels down to her level when she reaches them, holding out a drawing.

“Hi, Kalela, what do you have here?” Link asks with a smile.

“Look! My aunts are like you and Mr. McLaughlin! I think you would be friends. There’s my aunts,” She points to two stick figures who are colored brown. “There’s you and Mr. McLaughlin,” she points to two yellow stick figures, one with glasses, the other with a beard. “And I’m in the middle! And we’re all holding hands! It’s for your office.”

“Thank you so much, Kalela, this means a lot to me.” Link hugs her, careful not to bend the paper.

He stands up and turns to her mother. “You’re raising your daughter well, Mrs. Freeman.”

“Thank you, Mr. Neal. My sister and her wife were in town this weekend. Kalela overheard me telling them about what was going on, so I explained a little. She meant to show you this earlier today and threw a fit halfway home when she realized she hadn’t.”

“It’s the encouragement we needed today,” Rhett says. He wants to ask where her sister is from, her sister who made it out of this town to live happily with a wife. He wants to know where it’s safe to live, where your life and livelihood aren’t in danger no matter where you go. Logically, he knows, but right now it feels so unattainable. 

“Then I’m glad we came back,” Mrs. Freeman says with a sympathetic smile. They all say goodbye and head back to their cars.

“I’ll meet you back at my house. You wanna grab dinner? I’m going to get a picture frame.”

Rhett smiles and gives him a kiss, “Sounds good.”

To-go boxes sit on the coffee table and a random comedy plays on the TV. Rhett lays with his head on Link’s chest, listening to his heartbeat and tracing circles over his ribs. Link’s fingers slowly travel through his hair. With a sigh, Link reaches for the remote, muting the movie they were barely watching. “I wasn’t trying to stop you from talking earlier, I’ve just said things in the heat of the moment that I didn’t mean. I wanted to make sure you were in a clear headspace if we need to have a conversation.”

“Thank you for stopping me,” Rhett says, “Anything I was about to say earlier wouldn’t have been what I meant. I better understand my real concerns now.”

“Okay, good.”

“It just feels like our relationship is in a pressure cooker and I don’t know if it’s going to end up good or just explode.”

Link’s fingers trail over the back of his neck, sending shivers down his spine. “I know what you mean, feels like we can’t stop getting shot at, physically and metaphorically.”

Rhett takes a moment to feel the man underneath him, hear his heartbeat, feel his chest rise and fall, feel his fingertips on his skin. “I’m not going to find a man more attractive, interesting, or intelligent than you. I’m not getting any younger. I really, really want this to work.”

Link chuckles, “I want this to work too. We can take it slow. We’re going to be dealing with trauma for a while. Whatever happens with my job, I’ll try to be conscious of the way I deal with stress around you because I’m not always good about that. I’ve never clicked with someone this easily and I don’t want to lose this, even if it doesn’t work out romantically.”

Rhett lifts his head and kisses the man with a smile. “I’m gonna ignore that last bit. So, we’re on the same page?”

“Yes.”

“Still wanna go camping? We can leave on Sunday and stay a few nights.”

“Absolutely, that sounds really nice.” Link unmutes the movie so they have an excuse to cuddle longer before Rhett leaves. They agree on another brief “meeting” before school tomorrow, just to help each other get through the day.

Tuesday and Wednesday aren’t easy. Wednesday evening, Rhett plays guitar for a while, even composing a little, but he mostly just wishes Link was there to sing with him. With nothing else left to do, he goes to bed.

The clock is approaching one in the morning and Rhett has barely closed his eyes. When he does, he sees the flashing lights of the club and screams echo in his ears. He wants to call Link, but decides against it. He knows he’s still dealing with homophobic parents and anxiously waiting for the school board to say something. He needs sleep.

The phone rings and Rhett is almost relieved, but he knows phone calls this late at night are never good. Fear and adrenaline shoot through him when he sees Link’s name on the screen. “Link? Are you okay? What’s wrong?” He hears a suppressed sob on the other end of the line. “Link? I’m here. Talk to me.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, “I had to hear your voice. I- I had a dream that you… that you...” Another sob leaves his lips.

“Hey, I can’t sleep either. I’m gonna come over, is that okay? Unlock the door for me?”

“Okay.”

Rhett starts pulling on clothes and grabbing an outfit for tomorrow. “I'll be right there, hang on.” He’s already in the car by the time they hang up, completely ignoring the speed limit. No lights are on when he reaches Link’s house and for a second he’s afraid the phone call was a half- dream illusion. He goes to the door anyway and finds it unlocked. He’s barely over the threshold before Link’s on him, holding his face in his hands.

“I’m sorry, it was just so real, I couldn’t convince myself it wasn’t real. I’m sorry.” Link grasps at his face, neck, and shoulders, making sure he’s really there.

Rhett grabs his wrists to still his hands and kiss his forehead, “Stop apologizing. I’m here, it’s okay. Let’s go back to bed.” He can feel the tears on Link’s cheeks when he kisses him. They reach the bedroom and Rhett drops his hasty overnight bag and shirt on the floor. In bed, Link wraps himself around him and holds him tightly, every muscle shaking. Rhett rubs the skin he can reach in soothing patterns until he feels him fall asleep. Then, Rhett finally slips into a peaceful dreamland himself. 

Rhett is acutely aware of his morning wood pressed into Link’s backside when he wakes up. He starts talking himself into calming down because this isn’t why he spent the night, when his inner persuasion is completely derailed by Link pushing his butt more firmly into Rhett’s crotch. “Well somebody’s awake,” Link mumbles, smile in his voice.

“Sorry,” Rhett says, kissing his shoulder.

Link grabs his hand and moves it down over his own impressive bulge, “You aren’t the only one.”

Rhett leaves a few more kisses on his skin before husking in his ear, “Want me to do something about it?”

“I don’t wanna move much,” Link says, turning his head back so Rhett can see his grin. 

“Not a problem,” Rhett assures. He urges Link onto his back and stops a moment to take in that bright smile and sleepy eyes before smoothing his hands down the man’s torso. Link’s eyes fall back closed as Rhett follows his hands with his mouth, caressing his skin like this for the first time. He sure has thought about it a lot, but it’s so much better than he could have imagined. He presses his lips to each rib and trails down, his fingers in soft, dark body hair. Rhett’s almost convinced he fell back asleep until he brings his tongue into the equation, making Link shutter. Licking along his waistband, he wraps a hand around Link through his sweats, barely giving any friction, simply feeling his size. It’s considerable. He sucks hickeys into his hips and the soft flesh of his stomach until quiet moans are falling from Link’s lips.

At last, he eases Link’s sweats and boxers down, making the man whimper when cool air hits his dick. Rhett settles himself between his legs and delivers the same treatment to Link’s thighs as he did to his torso, though he’s earning more moans now. Rhett gently brushes his fingers over each bruise after he delivers it. He’s pressing kisses closer and closer to Link’s cock until he reaches down and threads a hand in Rhett’s hair. “Shit, Rhett, this is torture. Please suck me,” Link urges. Rhett just chuckles and runs his tongue up the crease between Link’s leg and hip, dangerously close to his hole and dick. A low whimper escapes his lover’s lips and Rhett almost feels bad. He kisses up his stomach next to where his cock is resting, leaking precum. He laps up what he can of the substance without touching Link’s cock, which earns him a clear whine and Link’s fingers tighten in his hair. 

The taste of Link in his mouth makes Rhett moan in his own right, hips shifting to earn some friction on the sheets. However, his goal is to get Link off long before he thinks about himself. 

Breathing a hot exhale over Link’s sensitive skin, he takes in his work, beautiful red and purple bruises blooming over tan skin. His fingers ghost over Link’s hips and thighs, picking up some saliva still left there. He could eat this man for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and be satisfied for the rest of his life. “Rhett, please please please, do something,” Link whines. Rhett leans back in, letting Link feel his beard on his inner thighs before he mouths at his sack, taking most of it into his mouth and swirling his tongue around. “Rhett!” Link gasps, back arching. The sound he lets out because he’s unable to reach release is something akin to a sob. Rhett grabs his hip to hold him down and keep him from thrusting. His spit drips down his crack and Link shutters, moans now nonstop. For the first time, Rhett touches his cock by dragging his tongue slowly up the length of it, causing Link’s noises to become higher pitched. He lightly presses a hand over his own bulge, straining against his sweats, but quickly moves away again to stay focused. Rhett glances up the man’s body, taking in the sight of his toned chest in the morning light, hair a mess on the pillow and eyes squeezed shut in ecstasy. Tears have slipped down his cheeks from the intensity of the pleasure and his mouth is open, helpless to do anything but moan. "Rhett please, please! I can't… I can't!"

Finally, Rhett takes the tip in his mouth and with one swirl of his tongue, Link is cumming with a shutter, orgasm so strong he can’t make a sound. Watching Link’s face screw up in pleasure nearly makes Rhett cum in his pants. He swallows it all and leaves a few more kisses on his belly before he leans to the side on his elbow, again taking in his work and catching his breath, trying not to cum just from pleasuring Link. Link’s skin looks good with his marks on it. “Fuck,” Link says, sounding blissed out and breathless. He runs a hand through his hair. “I haven’t cum that hard in years.”

Rhett chuckles, “I haven’t been able to pleasure anyone like that in a while.” He moves back up the bed to give him a kiss.

“Well, you’re very good at it.” Link seems to take a few more minutes to recover before he pulls himself closer to Rhett and begins kissing his neck. “I don’t have the patience for all that, maybe I can learn.” Rhett laughs as the man moves down his chest. “But I have been told I’m decent at a good old fashioned blow job.”

“I’ll never complain about that,” Rhett says, dissolving into moans as Link leaves hickeys at his waistband. Link pulls his pants and boxers down before grasping his already leaking dick. “Mm, not gonna last long, watching you cum almost did me in. You’re so fucking gorgeous.”

Link responds with a chuckle and a lick up the side of Rhett’s cock, making him shiver. Link lavishes his cock with his tongue, spreading around precum and saliva before taking a break and pumping slowly. Rhett thrusts up into his fist, grasping for purchase in the sheets, one hand landing on Link’s thigh. To his relief, Link finally wraps his lips around him, sucking the tip for a moment before sinking all the way down in one smooth motion. “Oh, Link you feel so good. Can’t believe you can take it all, fuck,” Rhett moans. Link bobs his head at an impressive pace that drives Rhett wild. He buries his nose in Rhett’s pubic hair and swallows around his cock. Rhett’s hips jerk up as he releases down his throat, unable to mutter a warning. Link takes it all with practiced ease, sucking him dry before moving back up the bed for a lazy kiss. “You’re so hot,” Rhett says, coming down from the high.

Giggling, Link says, “So are you. We gotta get up.”

Rhett groans, but he cracks his eyes open to watch Link get out of bed and stretch his arms over his head. “Shit, you’re beautiful, way out of my league.”

Link grins over his shoulder, “I beg to differ, but we can argue sometime when we don’t need to be at work.”

Sighing, Rhett begrudgingly gets out of bed. At least he’ll have the memories of the morning to get him through the rest of the day.


	12. Three Funerals and Dirty Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Rhett and Link go camping.

By the end of three funerals on Saturday, Rhett feels like he’s suffocating. He wouldn’t rather be anywhere else other than supporting Link, but it’s so humid and he hates this suit jacket and the sadness is stifling. They’re sitting in the car after the final funeral, both hungry and tired and ready to not be sad anymore. “I could jump in the river right now, man,” Rhett says, pushing his hair back from his face. 

Link puts the car in reverse, “Let’s do it.” Rhett laughs, thinking he’s kidding. They go through a Bojangles drive through, then Link keeps driving away from their houses.

“Where we going?” Rhett asks, mouth full of chicken.

“The river,” Link says, throwing a smile his way.

“Oh, I was kidding,” Rhett says, eyeing his companion for any signs of a breakdown. The sun is setting, they’re exhausted, and they’re leaving on a camping trip tomorrow; they shouldn’t be skinny dipping. Link parks near the river anyway, getting out and leaving the keys in the ignition, not caring if Rhett follows. Rhett looks on as Link strips out of his nice clothes under the setting sun and jumps into the river without hesitation. After licking his fingers clean, Rhett follows suit, much less self conscious this time around. He wades in and swims over to Link who is floating on his back with his eyes closed. “You okay?”

“I’m alright. Used to always go to the river when I needed to calm down, so when you mentioned it I knew it was exactly what I needed after the week we’ve had.”

Rhett nods and then lays back and floats next to him. The river soothes their raw nerves and frayed emotions. Cold water washes away anxieties and sadness as it numbs the tips of their fingers and toes.

The stars slowly come out over their heads and Rhett starts getting goosebumps. He elbows Link, “We should probably go, don’t wanna catch a cold.” He nods and stands carefully. Rhett is ready to turn and get out of the water, but Link traps him in place with his gaze. He looks so beautiful in the moonlight, almost like some kind of angel, black hair glimmering with droplets of water. Link moves forward slowly, wordlessly asking Rhett to lean down for a kiss. Their lips are cold at first, but they quickly warm up as they slide together. Rhett slips his hands over Link’s hips under the water, knowing the marks he left a few days ago can still be seen there. 

Just as it’s becoming heated, Link pulls away and rests his head on Rhett’s chest. “Thank you for being with me today.”

Rhett runs his fingers down Link’s spine, “I’m gonna try to always be here when you need me.” 

Link looks up and locks eyes with him, conveying as much as possible without words before saying, “It took too long to find you, Rhett. But I’m glad to have you now.” He laces their fingers together and they climb up the bank. 

After their cold swim, the bed is very warm and Link’s skin is even warmer. Laying there with Link snoring softly on his shoulder, Rhett decides that this is all he really needs. 

Frustration is running high before they even reach the campsite. Camping has a way of getting people keyed up before you can sit by the fire and relax. Unfortunately, neither man has the patience for it today. Every time Link snaps at him, Rhett holds on to last night’s memories and reminds himself they’ll be done setting up soon. He nearly bites a hole through his tongue to stop himself from making comments, but a few slip through anyway. Once they’re done with setting up the tent, which they had to work together on, they get started on more separate jobs to cool down. Rhett works on the fire and Link sets up everything inside the tent. By the time Link comes over to the fire, Rhett has a couple of hot dogs ready for him and they eat in silence as night falls.

The tension between them dissipates as they stare into the flames. Embers float up into the navy sky and crickets chirp all around, soothing stress and irritation. Link’s chin is resting on his chest and Rhett thinks he’s asleep, but then he says, “I’ve been thinking about what I’d want to do if the school board asks me to resign. I want to provide a safe place for LGBTQ+ kids. Some kind of program for after school and the weekends and the summer.”

“We should do it,” Rhett responds, like it’s the easiest thing in the world.

Link’s head jerks up so he can look at him, “We?”

Rhett meets his eyes, smile on his lips, “If you’ll let me. Doing something like that is exactly what I quit engineering for.”

Link nods, retreating back into thought. They sit for a while longer before Rhett says, “If we stay here, I think it can’t be openly LGBTQ+ because then some kids who really need to be there won’t be allowed to come.”

With a sigh, Link says, “Yeah. Man, I want to leave here so badly, but it’s the queer kids here who need the most support.”

“We’ll figure something out. We’ll do something soon.” His sentence turns into a yawn and Link shivers comically. “Let’s go to bed, the fire’s down enough.” Link hums an affirmative and soon enough they’re snuggling into their sleeping bags. The temperature seems to keep dropping. They’d chosen to camp in some foothills at a higher elevation, so it’s even colder than they’re used to in town. Rhett listens to Link’s teeth chatter for all of ten minutes before he’s unzipping his sleeping bag and grunting, “Come ‘ere.”

“Sorry, I should have been more prepared,” Link says through his shivers as he crawls over. 

Once they’re all settled and Link has stopped shivering, Rhett says, “I think it was all a plot to get closer to me.”

He can hear the grin in Link’s voice when he says, “You can blame it on that if it makes you feel better.” They fall silent and usually it would be a matter of minutes before Link is snoring softly, but not tonight. Completely lost in his thoughts, Rhett is nearly startled when Link tilts his face up and whispers, “Kiss me.” There’s no way in hell Rhett would pass up that request. 

The world has been cruel, harsh, and painful to the man in his arms and Rhett takes it upon himself to be a constant softness for him, especially in their kisses. His hands are gentle as they wander down his body. Rhett has always tried to make the world around him kinder.

On the other hand, Link hasn’t been given that luxury. He’s always had to take what he can get and it shows in the way the back of Rhett’s shirt is wadded in his fist and the way he kisses Rhett like he’ll never get to again. 

Rhett can afford to take his time, he’s grown up with all the time in the world. Link can’t afford to lose even one second, he’s grown up with time running out. 

It’s this that Rhett realizes as he kisses down Link’s neck, switching his pace from leisurely to feverish. Eventually, he’ll slow down and show Link how he wants to love him, but right now he’s keen to love Link in the language he’s familiar with: urgency and desperation. So, Rhett kisses him like the world is going to end tonight. He indulges himself in leaving hickeys on his neck like he’s the sweetest thing he’s ever tasted. Link’s got a grip in his hair and he pants out nonsense, all his blood in his groin and taken completely off guard. It’s not that what Rhett did the other morning wasn’t amazing, it was mind blowing, but Link responds recklessly to Rhett kissing him like he’s the only thing in the world he wants right now and he’ll never get enough. 

Rucking Link’s shirt up to his armpits, Rhett takes a nipple in his mouth, forcing a gasp out of Link. The man presses his clothed cock into Rhett’s hip, every muscle straining with arousal. “I want you, Rhett, please,” Link’s voice is high and raw, “Please fuck me.”

The begging nearly convinces Rhett to do it, but he resolved not to take it that far before the trip even began. He leans up to press kisses below Link’s ear, slowing down and holding his hips still so he’ll hear what he has to say. “You have no idea how much I’d like to fuck you into the ground right now,” Rhett husks, drawing a high pitched whimper from his lover. He kisses Link gently, forcing some of the lust out of his voice. “When we go camping again, I’ll gladly take you just like this. But I’m never just gonna fuck you, Link.” He trails kisses softly down his throat and eases his shirt over his head, finally gaining control over his preferred leisurely pace. “For our first time, I want to lay you down on my bed and worship this gorgeous body of yours.” Rhett punctuates his sentence by sucking a bruise into Link’s neck. “I want to take care of you and make you feel amazing, wanna make you feel so good you can’t think anymore.” He breathes this over his collarbone before licking a stripe along it. Finally, he leans back up and caresses Link’s jaw with tender fingers, staring into blue eyes that are full of what can only be defined as love. “I want to make love to you.” 

Link pulls him down onto a kiss that he smiles all the way through. “You’re such a romantic sap who is too good to me, Rhett McLaughlin.”

“I just treat you how you deserve,” Rhett insists.

Pulling him down again, Link positions his mouth at Rhett’s ear, “But what if I want you to pound me through the mattress with that thick dick of yours?”

Rhett grins, “Nothing is off the table for round two.”

Laughing, Link relaxes back into the sleeping mat with a yawn, “Guess we should sleep if we’re gonna hike tomorrow.”

“Glad I could warm you up and tire you out,” Rhett says, nuzzling into his neck. They wrap their arms around each other and with muffled “Goodnights” drift off as the crickets sing on.


	13. Love me Through the Panic Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhett and Link make plans for their after school club idea.

The next two days of camping consist of a lot of brainstorming. They hike and swim and cook over the fire and over all, it makes them feel much better. It's what they needed. Other than the reality that they'll probably be out of jobs in a matter of days or weeks, the trip is removed from their daily lives. They find a rhythm in which they work together and by the time they're driving home, they have some solid plans for an after school program that is accepting of all kids. However, the drive home is when reality hits.

Rhett just finished recounting his escapade of going to relieve himself and running into a snake with waning interest from Link. The radio plays quietly, but otherwise they fall into silence. Rhett simply assumes it's because they're tired and they've been together a lot until he glances at Link and senses something is wrong. He's gripping the sides of the seat so hard his knuckles are white and he stares ahead with unseeing eyes. "Link? Are you okay?"

"Rhett?" It's practically a whimper. When Rhett glances again, he can see Link's shoulders shaking.

"What's wrong?" Rhett asks firmly, eyeing the shoulder of the road for a place to pull over.

"The… the song, Rhett. It's-" he chokes on his words, curling further into himself. 

"Link, stay with me. You're gonna be okay." He punches the dial to turn off the radio and gives up looking for a good place to pull over and just swerves his car into the grass. Barely even looking to see if there are cars coming, Rhett jumps out of the seat and runs to the other side, yanking the door open and un-buckling Link. "Link, you're safe. Everything is okay. You aren't in danger."

The man looks up at him, big blue eyes shining with tears, chest heaving unevenly for breath. “Rhett, I can’t- I can’t breathe.” Squeezing his eyes shut, he grasps at Rhett’s shirt. "Please keep me safe," Link whimpers, one tear dripping down his face. Without hesitation, Rhett pulls him to his chest and holds him tightly, murmuring reassurances to Link just like the man did for him that horrible night. Link claws into his back, holding on for dear life, gasping desperately into his shirt.

Rhett doesn't know how long he stands there on the side of the road, but he knows he'd do it for a lifetime if it meant he was helping Link through this. After simply hugging for a while after he had calmed down, Link pulls back and scrubs his hands over his face. "Thank you. I'm okay, I just wanna get home now." With a nod and a kiss to his forehead, Rhett gets back in the driver's seat. 

"It was the song that was playing when it happened," Link says after they've driven in silence for a while.

"I figured. I didn't remember that." Rhett says, offering his hand over the console. Link takes it.

"Maybe I should go to therapy," Link says quietly.

"I probably should too. I would think what just happened to you is normal for what we went through. Therapy is bound to help with everything, though."

Link squeezes his hand, "Thank you for being there for me. I'll be here if you need me too."

"I know," Rhett says with a smile. 

They spend the second half of spring break planning an after school program. Papers are spread all over Link’s living room and their laptops are open on the coffee table. “Maybe we could raise funds in states that are more open minded?” Rhett proposes. 

“Honestly I should just start a GoFundMe right now, worth a shot,” Link says, sitting heavily on the couch to get started. 

“Man if I had a few less bills to pay, I could afford to invest more. We’ll both have to get day jobs, I should probably start looking for an engineering position,” Rhett thinks out loud, pacing back and forth to stimulate his process. Link looks up and stares, making Rhett throw a glance his way and ask, “What?”

“I mean, we could cut our bills in half,” he says with a shrug.

He throws his hands in the air, “How?”

Link takes a deep breath like he’s close to taking it back, but he says it anyway. “We could move in together.”

This stops Rhett in his tracks and Link watches him warily for a reaction. “That’s a good idea.” He grins and resumes his pacing, “Your house is a little nicer, so I guess I’ll move here? So much for going slow.”

With a relieved laugh, Link says, “Fine with me. We’re starting a business of sorts together, slow went out the window a long time ago.”

Rhett sighs, sitting on the couch next to him, “Honestly, it went out the window when we became each other’s emotional support humans.”

Link pats him on the knee, “It was probably out of the question the moment I laid eyes on you.”

Smiling, Rhett grabs his chin and turns his face up for a kiss. “Get to work on that GoFundMe, who knows, we could go viral with it or whatever.” 

Link is cleaning up from dinner when Rhett notices how tense he is. He’s drying his hands as Rhett comes up behind him to rub his shoulders, asking, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m gonna get a call from the school board tomorrow, I just know it. And it isn’t going to go in my favor.”

Rhett spreads a few kisses over his neck, “There’s nothing you can do about it, Link. Want me to help you relax?”

He leans back into him as Rhett works down the side of his neck. “Yes please,” he sighs.

The larger man turns him around and presses him into the counter, lavishing attention on his jawline and throat, sucking a hickey into the dip of his collarbone. His hands hold narrow hips flush against him, knee between the smaller man’s legs. Link runs his hands up Rhett’s back, appreciating each muscle and dip in his spine. “You’re so incredible,” Link mumbles, “I’ve always loved it fast and aggressive, but you make me slow down and it feels so, so good.”

Rhett responds by pulling his shirt over his head and caressing his sides, leaning in to kiss his lips after taking a moment to stare into his eyes. “You’re so beautiful, Link. I consider it a privilege to touch you like this.” Link just smiles, hand finding the back of his neck and pulling him in for another kiss. Lips never leaving each other, Rhett manages to get his hands under Link’s thighs and lift him, carrying him to the bedroom. He lays him down gently in the sheets, then stands back up to admire the man before him.

“Guess you aren’t laying me down in your bed like you promised,” Link grins. 

Removing his shirt, Rhett grins back, “Nope, I get to lay you down in our bed.” He crawls up to hover over him, Links hands finding his back again. “May I make love to you, Link?”

“Yes,” Link’s response comes out in an exhale as Rhett lowers himself down to take his mouth. He explores every inch before moving down his neck and chest, actions sloppy and heated in anticipation of what’s to come. With a glance up to Link’s blissed out face to confirm consent once more, Rhett removes his pants and underwear, growl leaving his lips at the sight. He quickly removes the rest of his clothing with the help of a giggling Link before he’s back to business, kissing down his length. “Oh, Rhett, you do everything just right. You feel so good,” Link says, hand reaching down to thread his fingers in Rhett’s hair. The taller man gently coaxes Link’s calves over his shoulders, dripping saliva on his balls, licking lavishly at his taint, and finally pressing his tongue against the tight hole. 

Rhett glances up to Link’s face when he whimpers, finding his brow creased and lip between his teeth, those gorgeous blue eyes shut tight. He lets out a frustrated moan, “Please don’t stop.” Chucking, Rhett dives back in, circling his tongue around the ring of muscle before carefully pressing for entrance. He earns it easily and Link lets out the most gorgeous sound he’s ever heard. He’s quickly seeking more sounds like that, licking into the man in earnest, urging him to open for his tongue, and soon after his fingers under a cool drizzle of lube.

“Rhett,” Link moans the moment his first finger is all the way in, “Please, please…” Rhett pumps the finger a few times before he curls it up and hits the right spot, making Link arch off the bed and positively sob. “Oh, right there, don’t stop, please, I need more,” Link begs, breath coming out in pants.

Never one to deny a lover, Rhett presses in a second finger and leans up to kiss Link as his fingers pleasure him. “You open up so nice and easy for me, gonna take this cock so good.” 

He takes a nipple in his mouth, at the same time tucking in a third finger and earns the desired reaction. “Shit, Rhett, if you don’t get to the main event soon I’m gonna cum like this.” The man’s fingernails dig into his shoulder as Link concentrates on enjoying the pleasure and not cumming. Rhett kisses him again before taking his fingers out and spreading lube on his own dick, moaning at the sensation of finally being touched. Link watches him through lidded eyes with a lazy smile on his face, legs spread wide in invitation. 

Positioning himself between those legs, Rhett leans down once more to kiss the man below him as he presses in smoothly. He doesn’t stop until he bottoms out and Link’s mouth is hanging open in ecstasy. The smaller man blinks his eyes open, slight confusion in his expression like he doesn’t know why Rhett isn’t moving yet. He crosses his ankles behind Rhett’s back and tugs him deeper, gasping at the sensation. “Please move,” Link whimpers, staring up into the taller man’s eyes, completely trusting. 

Rhett drowns in those eyes as he begins to thrust slowly, making sure to hit Link just right on every pass, forcing a moan out of him every time he does it. “So good, Rhett, that’s so good.”

Burying his face in Link’s neck, the little restraint he had on his mouth completely breaks. “You feel amazing, Link, never felt anything like this. You’re so hot. I could do this forever, fuck, you feel incredible.” His thrusts pick up a little, hips flush to ass every time he bottoms out as he slowly scoots Link up the bed. 

Every moan he pushes out of Link is high and loud. He reaches between them, but Link slaps his hand away, head thrashing side to side to express he doesn’t want it. “Just wanna cum off this big cock of yours, fuckin’ me so good, so deep.”

Rhett practically growls at that and thrusts deeper than before, speeding up his movements and forcing whines out of Link. Link’s nails dig into his back, breath pushed out of his lungs every time Rhett pounds in. “Rhett! I’m gonna-!” 

Just as Link pulses around him, Rhett thrusts deep and fills him up, strangled moan leaving his throat. The man underneath him releases between them with a gasp, muscles instantly relaxing into the mattress. Rhett leaves a firm kiss on his lips as he pulls out with a sigh. He forces himself to get up and grab a towel, knowing Link will enjoy cuddling more if he does it now. He wipes both of them clean then crawls back into bed with Link, pulling him close. 

“That was amazing,” Link sighs into his neck, already courting sleep.

“You’re amazing,” Rhett says with a smile, kissing his forehead and closing his eyes to fall asleep in their bed together.


	14. The Gunshots Are in Your Head, I'm Right Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link has to help Rhett through a panic attack.

Rhett is on cloud nine when he wakes up next to Link in the morning. He can barely wrap his mind around the fact that this will be his daily reality very soon. They’re sitting across the table from each other and Link is pouring milk in their cereal when Rhett’s mouth betrays him. “I love you, Link.”

Wide blue eyes look up in surprise and he sets the milk down a little too hard. For just a moment, Rhett panics, until a smile forms on Link’s face and he says, “I love you too, Rhett.” They’re a few bites into their breakfast when Link asks, “What made you say it then?”

Rhett thinks for a moment, but he doesn’t have a very good answer. He just loves Link because he’s Link and he simply couldn’t keep from telling him any longer. “I don’t know, it’s just you. I had to tell you.”

Link’s giddy grin makes him look ten years younger. They smile at each other over cereal like two idiots and neither would have it any other way. 

Mrs. Gregson is teaching math when it happens. The intercom beeps, so everyone pauses to hear the words: “Code red, we are going into lockdown. Code red, we are going into lockdown.” The kids quickly slip from their chairs and huddle under Mrs. Gregson’s desk. Many of them clutch pencils and scissors. The last time they did this, there was a lot more whispering, especially because Mrs. Gregson was assuring them it was just a drill. She isn’t saying that now. The children have all heard about the club shooting in one way or another.

Rhett is holding a chair and he stands with his back to the wall next to the door. His ears strain for the sound of gunshots. This is nothing like the club, but the silence starts to psyche him out. All he can think is to protect the kids at all costs, he’ll fight tooth and nail if anyone comes through that door.

But then he thinks of Link, thinks of Link shot dead in the front office, thinks of Link dying as the first line of defense of his school, thinks of Link bleeding out because he would give his life to save even kids who are being brought up to hate people like him. The chair he’s holding clatters to the floor and half the class flinches. He desperately wants to dash out of the room and find Link, shield him and never let him go. He’s frozen in place, knowing he’s already endangered the people he’s supposed to be protecting and opening that door could be their death sentence. 

The door handle rattles aggressively and Rhett whimpers, collapsing against the wall and sinking to the floor. He draws into himself, forehead resting on his knees, repeating to himself There are no gunshots, this is a drill. There are no gunshots, this is a drill.

Everyone in the room jumps when the intercom clicks on. “Code green, this was a drill. Code green, this was a drill.” Immediately, Mrs. Gregson jumps into action. She ushers the children into the classroom next door and calls the office. Rhett doesn’t understand what she says, he’s trying not to hyperventilate. He’s gripping his knees so tight, his knuckles are white. 

Mrs. Gregson kneels in front of him, “Rhett, you’re safe, it was a drill. You’re going to be okay, Principal Neal and the nurse are on their way.” She gently places a hand over his and sits with him as his shoulders shake with sobs, at a loss for anything else to say.

“Rhett.” His head jerks up at the sound of Link’s voice. Mrs. Gregson moves away quickly and Link replaces her, prying Rhett’s hands off his knees so he can hold them. He leans down to make Rhett meet his eyes. “It was a drill, Rhett. I’m okay. All of the kids are safe.”

Nodding, Rhett holds his hands tight. “You’re safe, Link,” he whispers, “You’re safe.” He lifts his hands and holds Link’s face for a moment, before pulling him to his chest and holding him tight. He barely registers that he shouldn’t be doing that here in front of the man’s employees, but Link does not protest. They embrace there on the floor, reassuring themselves that the other is alive and healthy. 

Link leans back enough that he can speak in Rhett’s ear, “Let’s get you home.”

Sighing, Rhett gives him one last squeeze before he gets off the floor, avoiding the eyes of Mrs. Gregson and the nurse. In a low voice, Link tells the two of them, “I’m taking him home and if he’s doing okay, I’ll be back soon. Mrs. Sevier will continue making sure the lockdown was done correctly.” He laces his fingers through Rhett’s and leads him out of the classroom. 

Once they get back to Link’s house, he assures Rhett will be fine alone for a couple of hours and heads back to the school. Rhett stays where he left him, wrapped up in a blanket on the couch, until he gets back.

Link gives him a kiss when he returns before getting into comfy clothes and replacing the pillow under Rhett’s head with his thighs, soothingly running his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to warn you that was happening today,” Link says.

“Not your fault, I’m an adult, I should be able to handle myself,” Rhett grumbles. 

“It’s not your fault either, Rhett. You can’t help a response like that. It’s only been two weeks since that wasn’t a drill for us.”

“Link, I failed those kids. If that hadn’t been a drill, I could have gotten all of them killed by dropping that chair and freaking out. I endangered them and I was barely even worried about them. All I could think about was you already lying out there dead,” Rhett says, voice rising in frustration.

“You’re being hypocritical. You tell me to be nice to myself and all that but you won’t do it for yourself. We’ve been through hell, Rhett, with emotional and physical stress and trauma. You don’t think I spent the whole morning worried I would break down the moment they announced code red? I’m responsible for every person in that building and there was a huge chance I could have failed all of them, especially you.” His hand had stopped in Rhett’s hair, but neither moves to leave, even in their heightened irritation. 

“You’re cut out for this job, Link.” He sits up so he can look him in the eyes. “Most people don’t think of principal being a very difficult job, but you’re good at it. You can handle the stress of having responsibility over others, I can’t. You’re level headed and even tempered. I broke down the first day we went back to work and you were fine.”

“You think I was fuckin’ fine?” Link snarls, voice turning sharp with anger it hadn’t previously held. Rhett’s blood runs cold. “How could you say that? You’ve been here for all of my breakdowns, we’re both in terrible shape over this. I’m sorry it happened to you today, but this is what we’re dealing with. You think I had to go through a shooting to be able to handle the stress of my job? To be ‘cut out for it?’ Cause guess what? The chair of the school board called today, right after I’d taken my incapacitated boyfriend home and staved off a panic attack of my own. She told me I have the fucking ‘privalidge’ to choose between my job and my lifestyle. I want to scream at the damn sky until I can’t talk anymore, Rhett. Stop thinking I’m doing better than you. We’ve both been dealt shitty hands.” 

By the time he stops speaking, both of them have tears running down their faces. Link retreats to his bedroom and Rhett is impressed that he doesn’t slam the door. 

Rhett curls up as small as a man of his size can on the couch, shutting out the world with a blanket. Link has a choice. This whole time they’ve been assuming he wouldn’t, but even the homophobic school board knows he’s a really great principal. And it’s not all because of the things Rhett said. Link loves every child who goes to that school. He’s shed blood, sweat, and tears to be a good administrator to those kids. He looks after the teachers. Rhett can’t help but recall the time a few weeks ago when a teacher had an emergency and no subs could be gotten on such short notice, so Link taught a class of first graders all day. He suspects someone else could have stepped in within an hour or so, but Link just loves those children. 

The program they’ve been planning would be great, but Rhett can’t expect him to step away from this job. So, Link will have to leave him. Rhett will finish up his student teaching somewhere else.

After a while, Rhett gets up and knocks on the bedroom door. He receives a flat, “Come in.” Link is laying on top of the bedspread, eyes closed, tear tracks on his face. Rhett sits on the edge of the bed, not sure what to do next, head bowed toward the floor and more tears threatening to spill. Several minutes pass in silence before Link moves to sit next to him, leaning his head on his shoulder. 

His mere presence calms Rhett down. “I’m so sorry, Link. I didn’t mean what I said. I was frustrated with myself and I was being selfish. I don’t know what I would have done without you today.”

“I know you didn’t mean it,” Link sighs, snaking a hand around his waist. “I love you.” The words sting now that Rhett knows this won’t last much longer. But he still believes them.

“I love you too,” Rhett says, kissing his hair.

“Let’s order takeout,” Link proposes.

“Great plan.”


	15. Rough or Slow, I Just Want You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link makes a decision about his job.

By the skin of his teeth, Rhett makes it through the week. Sitting across the table from Link on Friday night, he feels like there’s an anvil sitting on his chest. The whole week, he’s felt like he was teetering on the edge of insanity because Link hadn’t brought up what he was going to do about his job and Rhett was terrified to ask. After a long bout of silence, they both speak at once, “I have something to tell you.”

Link smiles, “You go first.”

Rhett takes a deep breath and sets his fork down. “Link, I know we are just starting this thing together, but that was when we didn’t think you’d get a choice in keeping your job. I care about you so much and you have made my life wonderful. However, I understand that we’re adults and you need job security. You’re very good at your job and I know you enjoy it. What I’m saying is, I understand if you choose your job over me. I wouldn’t blame you for that. I know it’s the most reasonable option. I can’t promise I’d ever get over you, but I absolutely want what’s best for you.”

Link sighs and rubs his eyes before looking up at Rhett with an unreadable expression. It makes his stomach flip and if Link stays silent much longer, he’s gonna have to make a run for the toilet. “I can’t believe you think I’d choose a job over you. I guess I haven’t made it clear enough, but I’m in love with you, Rhett. It’s just a job. I called the chair today and said I was done. That’s what I wanted to tell you, today was my last day there. I do love those kids and teachers, but we’re gonna help a lot of children with the program we’re starting.Sure, leaving the security of it is terrifying, but keeping that job doesn’t mean I simply have to give you up. It means I have to give up who I am and I’m not willing to do that. There are other ways that I can love and spend time with kids and not give up an integral part of myself while doing it. I’m sorry if it’s too soon to say this, but eventually I’d like to have kids with you. I want better days with you, I want my best days with you.”

Rhett sees the desperate sincerity in his eyes, the hint of fear that they are going to lose each other despite everything. It’s in that moment that Rhett knows he’s going to keep this man in his life forever, no matter what it takes. Tension drips from their locked gazes as both men contemplate the future. They seem to come to similar conclusions.

They scramble out of their seats at the same time. Meeting in the middle beside the table, Link’s instantly grabbing Rhett’s shirt and pulling him down for a heated kiss.

“I love you so much,” Rhett says between kisses, grasping at Link’s body to pull him as close as possible.

“I love you too,” Link says, mouthing down his neck. “Lemme show you,” he murmurs against his collarbone as he yanks his shirt over his head.

“Please,” Rhett gasps, head tilted back and mouth already opening around moans, “Show me your way.”

Link smiles and laughs, mouth never leaving his boyfriend’s as they stumble to the bedroom. Clothing is left in a trail to the bed where Link straddles his thighs, sucking hickeys into Rhett’s skin like there’s no tomorrow. Again, Rhett marvels at the difference in their preferred pacing. Link takes his breath away in the slow moments, but right now he can’t breathe at all. It feels like he’s everywhere, his mouth and hands and voice and those captivating blue eyes.

“You’ve been so good to me, Rhett, wanna return the favor,” Link says from somewhere near his stomach. Rhett nods furiously against the pillow, too overwhelmed to come up with something to say. Link notices and comes back up to give him a kiss. “You okay? You can tell me to stop or slow down whenever. I know I told you I like it like this, but it’s okay if you don’t want it.”

Rhett cracks his eyes open to stare up into Link’s concerned face. “I’m better than okay. The other night, showing you how I love you in my own way was fantastic. I want you to show me your way so you can feel that too. I trust you.” 

Link gives him another sweet kiss before swinging his leg back over his hips and kissing him in earnest, licking at his lips and pushing his tongue into his mouth when granted entrance. All of Rhett’s senses are filled with Link and he wouldn’t have it any other way. “I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone,” Link says as he mouths at the juncture of Rhett’s neck and shoulder. Rhett runs his hands up and down Link’s back and sides, memorizing the feel of his muscles and skin, reveling in the way this man fits so perfectly in his arms. He whines when Link slips away to grab the lube. When he returns, he settles between Rhett’s legs and kisses the inside of Rhett’s thigh, gently sucking just for the sensation. 

Rhett shivers when he drizzles the substance between his legs. “Shit, Link,” he hisses when the man runs a careful finger over him.

“Relax, baby,” Link whispers, pressing in. He pushes a finger all the way in, Rhett concentrating intently. Link finally feels him loosen, so he begins pumping steadily. 

“Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck. It’s been a while, I forgot how good this feels,” Rhett says with a sigh, hand reaching down to thread in Link’s hair. Link kisses the inside of his knee and watches his finger disappear into his man, growing more aroused each time. “I’m ready for more,” Rhett whimpers, broken, “Please!” pushed from his throat when Link crooks his finger up to hit his prostate. He does as requested, now hitting those sensitive nerves with every pass and making Rhett squirm.

“Gonna take my dick so good, baby,” Link says, kissing his skin again to keep himself from rutting against the bed. “Gonna fuck you so good you can’t walk tomorrow.”

“Yes, please,” Rhett moans. “I’m ready, please Link.”

He doesn’t need to be asked twice. He pulls his fingers out, Rhett whimpering at the loss, and slicks himself up, groaning at the feeling. He lifts Rhett’s calves to his shoulders, smirking down at his love who already looks fucked. “Don’t hold back,” Rhett says. 

Link takes Rhett’s hand against the sheets and grips his knee with the other, “As you wish.” 

He pushes in gradually, watching Rhett’s face screw up in pleasure. Rhett moans long and loud before mumbling, “It just keeps going.”

Link laughs and it turns into a moan when his hips come flush with Rhett’s ass. “We’re there now, feeling good?” He squeezes his hand in reassurance.

“Feels amazing.” He opens his eyes, dark with lust. He’d readily let the man above him do anything at all right now. There’s sweat on his brow and dark hair falls onto his forehead. His face is taut with the strain of holding back, but his blue eyed gaze holds nothing but love and desire. He’s the picture of sex and Rhett couldn’t think of anything else in the world he wants more than for Link to ruin him. He squeezes his hand back and growls, “Fuck me raw.”

Link leaves one last kiss on his calf before pulling almost all the way out and slamming back in, forcing a high whine out of Rhett. He sets a brutal pace, forcing him up the bed until Rhett has to reach out and grab the headboard to keep from running into it. 

“You’re so tight, you feel like heaven. You’re so perfect, baby, so perfect,” Link pants, angling so he can hit as deep as possible. 

“Fuck, Link, fuck, please please please…” He doesn’t know what he’s asking for, but Link seems to get it. He slows down just a fraction in order to make Rhett fully feel every single stroke. “Yes, please don’t stop.You fill me up so good, feels so good,” Rhett babbles.

“You take my cock so nice,” Link praises, looking down at Rhett, eyes half closed. 

Rhett’s eyes flutter open to return his gaze, but he’s in a daze, distant and bathed in pleasure. Eyes locked, they fall into a sort of blissed out limbo. Both on the edge of orgasm, it feels like they could go on like this forever, Link thrusting in and Rhett taking every inch, breathing hard, moans being pushed out of him every time. 

“I love you,” Rhett gasps, “I love you, I love you, I love you,” He chants.

It’s this that pushes Link over the edge. “Rhett-” he gasps, thrusting deep and spilling into him.

He whines at the feeling of being that full, cumming hard over his chest and stomach, completely untouched. Link pulls out gently and carefully brings Rhett’s legs down, tenderly prying his fingers off the headboard. He looks absolutely wrecked, mess all over his chest and hair sticking to his forehead. Link grins lazily before dipping down and cleaning the cum off his chest with his tongue, dick giving a valiant effort to rally at the taste. Rhett giggles and pulls him up for a kiss when he’s done, muttering, “You’re a wild thing, Link.” They snuggle in under the covers, Link drawing slow circles on his back. “That was the best sex I’ve ever had in my life. I love you, Link.” He yawns, “Time to sleep now.”

Link chuckles, pressing a kiss to his shoulder, “You do that, baby. Love you too.”


	16. Better and Best Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Though Link had to give up the job he loved, he finds a job he adores and Rhett gets to do it right alongside him.

Rhett is indeed very sore in the morning, but he still wakes up and slips out of bed first. He’s checking some emails when he discovers the best news he’s gotten in a really long time. He rushes back to the bedroom to tell Link, but he pauses before waking the man.

He looks so perfect surrounded by white sheets, splayed out on his stomach, dark hair spread across the pillow. His tan back appears flawless in the early morning light. Memories of the past month and a half flood Rhett’s mind, erotic and sweet and hilarious all together. It feels like a whirlwind, like you shouldn't commit to someone as quickly as he has. His mom always said to see someone at their worst and at their best before you devote your life to them. Rhett thinks he’s seen both and he feels ready. He can’t wait to move in and start this program, and down the road marry this man and adopt kids with him. He sees no other path for his life. He knows they’ll be thrown for more loops, but he’s not doing anything else without Link by his side. 

Rhett sits on the edge of the bed, causing Link to stir. He rubs a hand on his back and says, “Hey Link, wake up. Gotta tell you something.”

Link grumbles unintelligibly until he turns over and gives Rhett a sleepy half smile. “Better be good,” he says.

“It’s great!” A wide grin splits Rhett’s face, “The GoFundMe went viral. People have donated thousands already. We have a ton of emails wanting information and quotes for news stories and all kinds of stuff. I think we can bring real change with this, Link.”

Link pushes himself up and kisses the life out of him, overcome with excitement and energy. He rips the sheets off himself and gets out of bed, jumping around trying to pull on sweatpants. “Let’s get to work!” He announces with a flourish, leaving the room presumably to find his laptop. 

Rhett follows after him a little slower, smiling so big his cheeks ache. This is the life he wants, and here it is in his lap. Maybe the two of them are a little broken. There are going to be tough days. It took them too long to find each other, and now that they’re here, they’re never letting go.

Rhett and Link do big things in Buise Creek that extend their influence across the country. They do start an after school program as Rhett finishes out his semester as a student teacher to complete his degree. They get a little bit of news coverage as they organize a summer camp that supports kids of all ages, genders, and sexualities. 

Predictably, there’s pushback. There are protests and ugly comments and threats and really, really hard days. But Rhett and Link push right back. Surprisingly, it only takes them as a catalyst to draw the LGBTQ+ community out of the woodwork of Buise Creek. They become a force to be reckoned with and they shove as much homophobia out of the town as they can.

They start a YouTube channel that deals with the hard stuff. They use their platform to talk about the shooting, depression, homophobia, PTSD, they bring on guests of color to talk about racism, they bring on transgender guests to talk about transition and transphobia. They’re open about therapy and the prejudices they were raised with.

There are still times they have to help each other through panic attacks. There are still days it’s hard to get out of bed. But they get each other through it. They always will. It’s those days that remind them to honor those who died that night.

Their proudest achievement is Camp Mythical. It’s a summer camp dedicated to helping kids who’ve had it rough to escape. Even though they still have day jobs during the year, Rhett and Link wouldn’t trade it for anything. They keep the cost as low as possible and children from around the country attend. Rhett and Link’s songs are such a big hit with the campers, they upload some of them to YouTube too. Eventually, they have their very own campground. Many of the buildings are named after people who died in the shooting. The day they invite the families of those being honored to the camp finally brings closure. The campground is small, but perfect. Every building is painted a vibrant color. There’s a large field in the middle of camp that has seen many kickball, capture the flag, soccer, and football games. All the buildings are clearly labeled with the names of those they honor and their legacy is kept vibrantly alive as it is passed from counselors to campers every summer. 

They fall in love with many of the local kids who they spend afternoons with during the school year. Eventually, those kids cause Rhett and Link to start a foundation for LGBTQ+ kids who are kicked out of their homes or are being abused. They see to the local cases themselves. 

At the end of the second summer of Camp Mythical, Rhett proposes. It was a long time coming and it’s more symbolic than anything since they live and work together. But the rings just make everything ten times better. To think a year and a half before, Rhett had walked into Charles Neal’s office and checked for a ring on his hand. At last, he has earned the right to put one on Link’s finger himself.

At the beginning of their first summer at Camp Mythical as husbands, they stand in front of the recreation hall hand in hand. In front of them, they watch a game of partner kickball organized by their fantastic councilors. “Did we get Newt’s name corrected in the system? This is a no-deadname zone,” Link says with a little smile. 

“Yep, I fixed it myself,” Rhett says, smiling back. “We need to keep an eye on Jenny. She and her mother fled from her father a week ago. She may have lingering injuries or need counseling.”

Link nods, still looking out at the gaggle of kids, shrieking and laughing. “Jadyn told me last night that yesterday was the best day of his life,” Link says softly. 

Rhett’s smile turns into a grin at that news, “That’s why we do this, for better and best days.” 

Link turns his head up for a kiss and Rhett obliges. “How about you? Still having better and best days?”

Nodding, Rhett says, “Every day with you is mythical.”

Link elbows him in the side for his corny joke. “Would you mind accompanying me to the camp directors’ office?”

“Am I in trouble?” Rhett asks as they start walking.

“Only if you do something bad,” Link says, throwing a wink his way. 

“Then I might have to act up.” He smacks Link’s ass, throwing them both into a fit of giggles.

Link shouts a belated, “Hey!” and tries to smack Rhett’s arm, but the taller man grabs his wrist to stop him before stooping and wrapping his arms around his waist, lifting him over his shoulder. “Rhett!” Link shouts, laughing. 

Rhett just smacks his ass again and gives a playful growl, hauling his husband to their office. At last, he sets Link down on one of their desks and leans in to kiss him hungrily. He leans back after several minutes, breathless and grinning. He looks into his husband’s sky blue eyes and kisses his nose, saying, “I don’t know why I was ever nervous to go to the principal’s office.”

They could almost call the adoption of their first child an accident. They’ve been running Camp Mythical for over five years at that point and they don’t have to work day jobs during the year anymore because of the success of their talk show and songs. Landon stumbles into their lives on a Thursday meeting of the Mythical Beasts one frigid afternoon in January. There are holes in his shoes and he has big brown eyes. Every member of the after-school club stares at him until Link finally breaks and says, “Hi. What’s your name?”

“I’m Landon. Someone told me this is the place for the people who are different.” After that sentence, he’s welcomed with open arms. Rhett and Link soon figure out that he’s been disowned by his family and is homeless. The McLaughlin-Neals work hard for weeks to get him officially adopted and after a lot of hard work, the family of two becomes three. After that, it’s like a dam is broken. The men adopt kids in need of all ages, in some situations this gives them one year with a child, and in others they raise them for ten. As they grow old, their kids go on to do amazing things all over the world. All Mythical Beasts, officially adopted or not, know they’re always welcome in that little house in Buies Creek where two tall men with overflowing hearts hold each other’s hands like it’s life support and sing on the back porch every night. 

They’ll tell stories to anyone who asks. Sometimes they are lighthearted and humorous, sometimes parts are noticeably left out due to their explicit nature, and sometimes they will move their audience to tears. The recurring theme, though, of every single story, is if you find someone and you love them, don’t dwell on how long it took you to find them, just hold onto them tight. It’s never too late to walk together into better, best, and mythical days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I loved writing this and hopefully it will lead to many more chaptered fics. Check out my tumblr @harper44

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my tumblr @harper44


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